Police say an unlicensed teenage boy was behind the wheel when the four-wheel-drive rolled about 8pm on Saturday night, trapping several passengers inside.
There were six people in the Toyota Landcruiser driving near Logue Brook Dam in Hoffman, about two hours south of Perth.
Passengers were trapped inside the car, their screams heard by nearby campers.
The 16-year-old driver and his surviving passengers –two 16-year-old girls, and two boys, 18 and 19 – were taken to Bunbury hospital, where one remained in a serious condition overnight.
It was the state’s 86th fatal crash in 2025, the worst at this point of the year in a decade.
Premier Roger Cook issued a plea to drivers.
“Please, when you get behind the wheel of a vehicle understand that you are undertaking an inherently risky and dangerous activity,” he said.
There’s history of reckless behaviour at Logue Brook Dam.
Some locals have called for it to be closed but the Shire of Harvey doesn’t want to.
Instead it’s now considering how to improve safety in the area, which will require a mutli-agency approach.
“[It’s] Very tragic news to hear of the passing of such a young person out there,” Shire President Michelle Campbell said.
“I’m hoping that we’ll be able to as a result of this sad incident, hopefully we’ll be able to sit around the table and have a bit of a conversation about how we manage it moving forward.”
