Mid West-Gascoyne road toll soars in recent months amid horror triple fatality in Yalgoo

A baby boy, his mother, and another woman killed in a horrific weekend crash mark the latest fatalities in a shocking few months on Mid West-Gascoyne roads, with the toll so far at a seven-year high. Nine people have died on roads in the Mid West-Gascoyne region this year. That is almost double the five deaths at the same stage last year, and exceeds the full 2023 road toll of seven deaths. The region has not seen this many people lose their lives to date since 2017, when 10 people had died at this point in the year. Six people were travelling to Geraldton in a Toyota HiLux when it rolled on Geraldton-Mount Magnet Road in Yalgoo just before 11pm on Saturday night. An infant boy just weeks old and a 21-year-old woman died at the scene. Truck drivers and local volunteers were the first on the scene, with the first ambulance arriving just after midnight. Royal Flying Doctor Service aircrafts met four adults at Geraldton and Mount Magnet and flew them to Royal Perth Hospital. The baby’s 33-year-old mother died later in hospital. A 22-year-old man was in a critical condition on Tuesday, while two men aged 22 and 43 were in stable conditions. WA’s year-to-date road toll is now the worst it has been in a decade, with the deaths bringing the number of fatalities on WA roads this year to 113. Of those, 46 people have died on city roads and 67 people have lost their lives while driving in the country. The deadliest year for the Mid West-Gascoyne was 17 casualties in 2015. On Monday, the Shire of Mount Magnet lowered its flags to half-mast out of respect for families who were mourning the loss of their loved ones. Shire president Jim McGorman said he was gobsmacked when he learnt of those involved, as they had strong ties in the community. “I know the family pretty well. The mother is in town and the grandad is as well,” he said. “She went to school in Mount Magnet, my wife taught her. A lot of the staff at the council are related to the families involved.” Mr McGorman, who has been a volunteer firefighter for 25 years, said his thoughts were with the family, councillors and volunteers who had been touched by the tragedy. “My sincere condolences to the family. We (the shire) are here to support them. The town is pretty solid with the family so it’s affected the community a lot,” he said. Latest data from the Road Safety Commission shows 76 people were killed or seriously injured in road crashes in the Mid West-Gascoyne region in 2023, compared with 87 in 2022 and 108 in 2021. Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said crashes resulting in multiple fatalities were uncommon and shocking. “My heart goes out to all those impacted by the tragedy at Yalgoo over the weekend. Every death on our roads is one too many,” he said. “Road safety is a complex problem with no simple answers. All governments have a role to play, local, State, and Federal but our road safety challenge is bigger than any government.” Mr Warner said since 1985, although the population of WA had doubled, the number of people killed or seriously injured had halved. “We are working to minimise risk by improving roads . . . but sometimes all of this is just not enough,” he said. “Drivers must take some responsibility. We need to slow down, not drive when tired, and put on our seatbelts. “These simple acts would make an enormous difference to the rate of trauma on our roads.” LOCAL FATAL CRASHES SO FAR IN 2024 Saturday, August 10 Six people were in a Toyota HiLux when it rolled on on the Geraldton-Mount Magnet Road in Yalgoo. A nine-week-old boy and a 21-year-old woman died at the scene, while the baby’s 33-year-old mother died in hospital. Three others received serious or critical injuries. Wednesday, August 7 A 36-year-old man died at the scene of a crash on North West Coastal Highway in Eurardy, about 150km north of Geraldton. He was driving a Mercedes Benz Sprinter van when it collided with a Hino tray top truck towing a trailer. Saturday, July 13 A 73-year-old man veered off the North West Coastal Highway in Howatharra in a Holden Colorado dual-cab ute and struck a tree. He died at the scene. Sunday, July 14 A 62-year-old man died after veering off Indian Ocean Drive near Middleton Boulevard in Jurien Bay in a Ford Falcon ute. He crashed and died at the scene. Monday, July 8 An 18-year-old woman behind the wheel of a four-wheel-drive with three children aged between one and seven rolled on Canover Road in Jurien Bay. She died in hospital the following week from her injures, while the children survived. Friday, June 7 Friends Coral Seinor and Thelma Clausen, 83 and 82, died in a crash on Brand Highway in Cooljarloo, near Cataby. The crash involved a Suzuki hatchback, a Toyota Prado, and a road train. Former AFL player Shannon Cox has been charged over their deaths. Thursday, June 6 A 61-year-old cyclist was killed in a collision with a Toyota HiAce van on Brand Highway in South Greenough. The investigation has since been finalised, and no charges were laid. Sunday, May 26 In the early hours of the morning, 19-year-old Alexx Wright from Greenhead was hit by a car after stepping out of a parked car on Indian Ocean Drive near Jurien Bay. Local woman Brooke Narelle Hicks, 45, has been charged with failing to stop and report the incident. Sunday, February 4 Close friends Matthew Farr and Louis Eeles, both 22, were in a Nissan Patrol when it careered off a cliff 10km north of Horrocks Beach in the early hours of the morning. A 21-year-old back-seat passenger survived and climbed the cliff face to raise the alarm. * Some of these deaths occurred in other police districts, or were classified as off-road incidents Road Trauma Support WA 1300 004 814