A teenage girl is being held under police guard after allegedly fleeing from a car crash that killed her younger brother – as witnesses recount her haunting screams for help moments after the accident.
Police said the pair were traveling on the Pacific Highway in Charmhaven when the car came off the road and collided into a tree at about 1.30am on Wednesday.
They said the 19-year-old woman was driving, and fled the scene of the crash on foot, before she was located and taken to Gosford Hospital under police supervision.
Her 17-year-old brother, who was in the passenger seat, died at the scene.
‘Speed appears to be a factor in the crash,’ NSW Police Inspector David Piddington said.
‘The road is for driving, you need to drive to the conditions and ultimately if you drive to the conditions and obey the speed limits, we wouldn’t have this crash today.’
A witness said that they heard the woman’s screams for help moments after the crash.
The 19-year-old female driver fled the scene of the smash but was located a short time later and taken to Gosford Hospital
The Pacific Highway was closed in both directions near Charmhaven as police investigated the scene
‘I heard this last night, the girls screams for help will forever break my heart,’ they said.
Another claimed that they saw the teenager driving ‘erratically’ before the crash.
The Pacific Highway was closed in both directions between Moala Parade and Jetty Avenue following the crash
The crash comes just one day after the victims of another horror smash in the state’s Southern Highlands were identified as friends.
Brooke Sorlie, 21, and Charlie Quinn, 18, were travelling in a car with two men, aged 21 and 20, through Tarago, about 40km south of Goulburn, when the vehicle left the road and rolled at about 1.10pm on Sunday.
Ms Sorlie, Ms Quinn, and the 20-year-old man died at the scene while the 21-year-old driver escaped with minor injuries.
He was able to get out of the vehicle unassisted and was taken to Canberra Hospital for treatment and to undergo mandatory blood tests.
A woman who was one of the first responders at the scene said she and other bystanders worked desperately to save the lives of the other man and woman while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
The station wagon was travelling on the Pacific Highway in Charmhaven when it veered off the road and crashed into a tree about 1.30am on Wednesday
The crash at Charmhaven (marked above) is being investigated by police as officers supervise the driver in hospital
‘Light vehicles are diverting via Moala Pde, Panorama Ave and Jetty Ave. Heavy vehicles will need to use the M1 instead. Allow extra time.’
The family have been notified and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
The crash comes just one day after the victims of another horror smash in the state’s Southern Highlands were identified as friends.
Brooke Sorlie, 21, and Charlie Quinn, 18, were travelling in a car with two men, aged 21 and 20, through Tarago, about 40km south of Goulburn, when the vehicle left the road and rolled at about 1.10pm on Sunday.
Ms Sorlie, Ms Quinn, and the 20-year-old man died at the scene while the 21-year-old driver escaped with minor injuries.
He was able to get out of the vehicle unassisted and was taken to Canberra Hospital for treatment and to undergo mandatory blood tests.
A woman who was one of the first responders at the scene said she and other bystanders worked desperately to save the lives of the other man and woman while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
The Charmhaven crash comes after Charlie Quinn (pictured) died after a vehicle carrying her, her friend Brooke Sorlie and two men left the road 40km south of Goulburn on Sunday
Brooke Sorlie (pictured), Ms Quinn, and a 20-year-old man died at the scene while the 21-year-old male driver escaped with minor injuries
‘They were unconscious. We were giving them CPR but it just wouldn’t work. It was awful,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘One girl was still trapped in the car – the driver’s girlfriend. I can still hear hear his screams.
‘He was screaming to try and get in the car to get his girlfriend out.’
Special crash investigators are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident, including whether speed was a factor.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
