Mayor calls for review of ‘dangerous’ roads after Geraldton tragedy

Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn has called for a review of the area’s road networks after an horrific WA Day crash that claimed the lives of two children. He said the intersection where the crash occurred, 25km south of Geraldton, was dangerous because of a number of factors, including blind bends and a significant speed difference between the two roads. “It’s a very dangerous intersection,” he said. “Unfortunately there’s a number of similar intersections along Edward Road that would not meet current guidelines. “I would like to see a review and possible upgrades on similar roads in our network to prevent something like this happening again.” Several Walkaway residents said the intersection was known to be a dangerous spot with a number of close-calls occurring over the years. “I’ve had a couple of near misses on this intersection from drivers coming off McCartney and not stopping to check,” one woman said. “I think it is a part of the road most locals know to treat with caution. I am heartbroken for this family.” Around midday on Monday, a Ford F250 utility was travelling north west on Edward Road when it collided with the rear panel of a grey Mazda3 attempting to cross on McCartney Road. Police say two children, Harmonie Cunningham, 10, and Nate Stewart, 7, died at the scene. Mid West Gascoyne district police Superintendent Roger Beer described the accident as a “horrible tragedy”. “The death of two children is a terrible thing,” he said. “Major Crash investigators are looking at what actually occurred and I won’t go into any of that at this time.” Supt Beer said due to the long weekend there may have been more traffic on the road than usual but he was not aware of any concerns at that particular patch of road. “It’s not a major highway, I suspect it’s the timing of the two vehicles that has caused this crash,” he said. “I don’t think I can say more than the investigation is ongoing.” The driver and two passengers of the Mazda3 were taken by St John Ambulance service to Geraldton Hospital with injuries while the two people in the Ford F250 weren’t injured. The driver and front seat passenger of the Mazda have since been discharged from Geraldton Hospital and, according to police, have returned to Perth and are staying with family. A third passenger who was seated in the rear of the Mazda, a man in his 30s, was seriously injured and transferred by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Royal Perth Hospital in a critical condition. A spokeswoman from the East Metropolitan Health Service said he was still in hospital in a stable condition.