One of the first responders to the scene of a horrific single vehicle crash that claimed three young lives has recalled the haunting screams of the driver as his girlfriend died.
Emergency services were called to the intersection of Bungendore and Collector Roads near Tarago about 40km south of Goulburn in the NSW Southern Highlands at about 1.10pm on Sunday after reports a silver Hyundai SUV had left the road and rolled before coming to rest on its roof in the grass.
Three passengers, two women aged 18 and 20 and a 20-year-old man, were trapped inside the vehicle while the driver managed to escape the wreckage unassisted.
The first responders who arrived at the harrowing scene pulled the trapped passengers from the scene and began CPR.
All three victims, who were from the NSW south coast died at the scene, despite the desperate efforts to revive them.
One responder told Daily Mail Australia of the horrific sights and sounds she was that confronted with and will never forget.
‘The boy and the girl were already out of the car by the time police were on the scene,’ she recalled.
‘We were trying to do CPR on them, but it just wouldn’t work. It was awful.’
Three young people died when a vehicle left the road and rolled near Tarago about 40km south of Goulburn in regional NSW on Sunday afternoon
Specialist crash officers are investigating the cause of the crash and a report will be prepared for the coroner
The responder recalled that the male driver aged in his 20s was screaming at them to help his dying girlfriend out of the car and that will never forget his screams.
‘One girl was still trapped in the car – the driver’s girlfriend. I can still hear his screams.’
The driver suffered minor injuries and escaped the wreckage unassisted.
He was airlifted to Canberra Hospital for treatment and to undergo mandatory testing.
As of Tuesday morning, he remains in hospital in a stable condition and is yet to be interviewed by police. No charges have yet been laid.
It’s understood he and his three passengers were heading home from Canberra, where they had attended a 21st birthday party.
The driver was airlifted to Canberra Hospital, where he remains in stable condition. Pictured are emergency responders at the scene
Hume Police District Commander, Superintendent Linda Bradbury described the crash scene as ‘horrific’ for first responders.
‘Any fatality that police go to is confronting,’ she told the Goulburn Post.
‘The vehicle had left the roadway for factors still under investigation, rolled and landed on its roof.’
Specialist crash officers are investigating the cause of the crash and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Police have confirmed that speed will be a factor in their investigation.
Investigators urge anyone with dashcam footage or information about the crash to contact Crime Stoppers.
