ACT Chief Police Officer Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan said the crash was the result of high speed. Photo: Michael Weaver.
High speed is being blamed for the death of a 19-year-old male who was killed after an orange Holden Commodore crashed into a large street sign and a light pole on the Tuggeranong Parkway at about 10:30 pm last night (27 April).
The 19-year-old was earlier detected driving dangerously throughout Canberra. Police made a number of attempts to intercept the Commodore in numerous suburbs, but the driver failed to stop on each occasion.
ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan said the crash will be treated as an AFP critical incident, and the actions of police and the speed of the Commodore will also be investigated, although police did not engage in active pursuit of the vehicle at any time.
“At 10:28 pm, the car, believed to be travelling south at speed, crashed into a large street sign and a concrete light post on a median strip on the Tuggeranong Parkway, north of the Sulwood Drive intersection,” Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said.
ACT Fire and Rescue and ACT Ambulance Service attended but the 19-year-old died in the vehicle. Three male passengers were also transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
ACT’s major collision team is investigating the incident and a report will be prepared for the ACT Coroner.
The driver’s next of kin have now been informed of the death of the 19-year-old, which Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said was always distressing for police officers.
The 19-year-old male is the fifth person to die on ACT roads this year, and the Chief Police Officer said it was a miracle the passengers escaped with only minor injuries and no other road users were involved in the crash.
“If people are going to drive on the streets and treat them like a raceway, inevitably we’re going to see tragedies such as this take place,” Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said.
“It’s a sobering reminder for all Canberrans that are involved in excessive speed on the Territory’s roads that it’s not on.
“It’s very disheartening that all the deaths on roads this year have involved young people. Pretty much all these collisions have been speed-related.
“The message is clear. Please stick to the speed limit,” he said.
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