Mid West and Gascoyne road fatalities revealed for 2025, including tragic young losses

Ten people lost their lives in road traffic accidents in the Mid West and Gascoyne region last year, according to data from the Road Safety Commission — a noticeable decline from the 16 deaths recorded in 2024.

The string of local fatalities in 2025 impacted far and wide, from Geraldton and Walkaway to Paynes Find, Dudawa and Arrowsmith.

Six of the 10 deaths took place in the first half of the year.

Among those lost was Abby Shiozaki, 20, who was killed in Wandina on May 15 when a Holden Commodore she was a passenger in crashed with a Toyota Prado LandCruiser at the intersection of Brand Highway and Endeavour Drive.

Ms Shiozaki was remembered as a “beautiful, caring soul” who was “deeply loved and surrounded by wonderful friends and family”.

Her workplace, Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation, described her as someone who “approached every task with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn, always ready to lend a hand to her colleagues”.

There was an outpouring of support for Ms Shiozaki’s family in the wake of her death, who said that the “support from friends, family, and strangers has been nothing short of incredible.”

Nanson man Todd Warren Kennedy — the alleged driver of the Prado — has been charged over the fatal crash with dangerous driving occasioning death and grievous bodily harm as well as driving while impaired by drugs.

Less than a month later Andrew Henry, a 17-year-old Dongara local, was killed after a collision between his Toyota Corolla and a Kenworth prime mover on June 16. Mr Henry was remembered by friends and family as “the most genuinely kind young man”.

He was recalled fondly by his co-workers and friends on social media, with his workplace Dongara Hotel Motel writing a heartfelt message.

“Andrew was a valued part of the Dongara Hotel family — he will be missed by all who knew him,” the post read.

The community showed their support for Mr Henry’s family in the wake of his tragic death, with a GoFundMe set-up to cover financial expenses raising more than $35,000.

Other fatalities in 2025 included a 28-year-old man involved in a collision in Arrowsmith who died in hospital from his injuries, a 44-year-old man whose car hit a tree and died at the scene in Dudawa, a 60-year-old man who died at the scene of his motorcycle crash in Walkaway and a 63-year-old man who died at the scene of a two-car crash in Paynes Find.

Most recently, a 37-year-old man was killed while riding on a rental e-scooter just after midnight on Christmas Eve on a footpath alongside Brand Highway in Tarcoola Beach. Since their introduction to WA in 2022, e-rideable fatalities have been included in road tolls as pedestrians.

Across WA, 184 people died in road accidents last year — 100 of which were in regional areas. This is a slight drop from 2024’s fatalities of 188 people.

WA Police are urging drivers to prioritise responsibility on the roads over the summer holidays, saying that every driver had a duty to keep the community safe.

Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner spoke of the lives lost on WA roads last year when he announced new safety measures over the holiday period.

“Those people are not numbers or statistics, they have names, their lives mattered,” he said.