Gary Cahill: Adored grandfather on daily postie run when he was tragically killed in horror car crash
Gary Cahill is one of a dozen people who have been killed on the roads in the past six days — believed to be one of the deadliest weeks in history.
Mr Cahill was driving his Holden Commodore sedan station wagon when it crashed with a Toyota Landcruiser utility on Gommes Lane near Yornup — about 12.5km south of Bridgetown — on Monday morning.
The 73-year-old suffered serious injuries and died at the scene.
The occupants of the Landcruiser, including a 19-year-old male driver, received minor injuries.
In a statement to The West Australian, the Cahill family said the sudden death had left a 'massive hole' in their family and the wider Bridgetown community.
'He was married to Karen for 49 years, always keeping her on her toes,' the family said.
'(He was) the most fun-loving dad to Glen, Denise and Mandy, and 'gramps' to five grandchildren who absolutely adored him.'
Mr Cahill worked in Bridgetown for more than two decades.
'He was the milkman in town for more than 20 years and more recently the postie,' the family said.
'He loved caravan adventures with his brother Lindsay and tinkering away on his vintage cars and caravans.'
The tragedy comes after Mr Cahill's son, Glen Cahill, was allegedly king hit outside Hillarys Beach Club on Melbourne Cup day last year.
Glen and his wife Tarryn were waiting for a rideshare vehicle after celebrating the race when his accused attacker, Matthew Anthony Jennings, allegedly punched the father-of-two in the face.
Glen spent nine days at Royal Perth Hospital with serious head and facial injuries.
Mr Jennings was charged with grievous bodily harm and has pleaded not guilty.
Twelve people who have been killed on WA roads since Thursday.
The road toll now stands at 112.
Among the crashes include an incident on Tuesday, where a 65-year-old man was killed after his Holden Colorado tray-top utility collided with a Kenworth truck in Petrudor — about 40km east of Dalwallinu.
The 25-year-old truck driver received minor injuries and he was taken to Dalwallinu Hospital.
Just four hours later, a 45-year-old driver after his Citroen hatchback smashed into a Nissan Dualis station wagon on Broomehill-Gnowangerup Road in Pallinup.
The driver of the Nissan, a 26-year-old man, was seriously injured and was airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital by the RAC Rescue helicopter.
Then about 7pm, in Binningup, a 37-year-old man was killed when he was struck by a Nissan X-Trail while walking on Forrest Highway, about 29km north of Bunbury.
The 49-year-old male driver of the Nissan was not injured.
And on Wednesday morning, a 65-year-old man died after his Toyota Corolla hatchback smashed into a Kenworth road train on Great Eastern Highway in Irishtown, about 10km north of Northam.
The 47-year-old male driver of the road train received minor injuries.
Police Commissioner Col Blanch said he was 'frustrated' by the rising number of fatalities and pleaded with drivers to stop touching their mobile phones.
'It's not just about the deceased, it's about their families, it's about the first responders, it's about the witnesses to those accidents,' he said.
'Road deaths have so much consequential damage, it's outrageous because most of them are preventable deaths.
'We did 2.4 million breath tests on the road in the last 12 months (and gave out) more enforcement fines than ever before, but that message about picking up your phone and paying attention is still not getting through to some of our drivers.
'My message to all drivers is to prioritise your life and the lives of others over what's on your phone.'
Mr Blanch said he was looking at having to boost the major crash squad if the horror run continued.
'(The numbers are) a constant review at the moment,' he said.
'They're managing the workload, but as we've seen in the last two weeks, I'll probably have to reassess that.'
Shadow road safety minister Julie Freeman said the WA's road toll was at crisis point.
'We are on track for the worst road toll since 2008, when 205 Western Australians lost their lives,' she said.
'Every one of the (112) lives lost is a heartbreaking tragedy for families, friends, workmates, and communities.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
19 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Hundreds of Perth homes left without electricity for hours after horror crash
Two people are in intensive care tonight after their car lost control and flipped in Perth's south-east. The vehicle ended up entangled in a tree and a power pole, which plunged hundreds of homes into darkness for more than 12 hours. The Toyota Land Cruiser was left a twisted mess and flipped on its side, after the driver allegedly lost control along Southern River Road in Gosnells just after midnight. Locals heard the crash and called emergency services.
The Age
19 hours ago
- The Age
Hundreds of Perth homes left without electricity for hours after horror crash
Two people are in intensive care tonight after their car lost control and flipped in Perth's south-east. The vehicle ended up entangled in a tree and a power pole, which plunged hundreds of homes into darkness for more than 12 hours. The Toyota Land Cruiser was left a twisted mess and flipped on its side, after the driver allegedly lost control along Southern River Road in Gosnells just after midnight. Locals heard the crash and called emergency services. '[I] came out, called Triple Zero straight away, a couple of neighbours came out to see what was going on,' resident Manu Nebe told Nine News. The vehicle mounted the median strip, taking out a power pole, which left more than 200 residents in the dark for much of the day. Police say a 24-year-old man was behind the wheel and with him was a 25-year-old woman. They say the woman was crying and screaming for help, with one neighbour staying beside her and keeping her calm until emergency services arrived.
West Australian
4 days ago
- West Australian
Locals say dramatic rescue effort to retrieve Carolina Wilga's bogged van took more than four days
Wheatbelt residents have revealed it took more than four days to manage to retrieve German backpacker Carolina Wilga's van from the remote area in which it was trapped. The 26-year-old German backpacker miraculously survived 11 nights alone in the remote Wheatbelt bush after crashing her car, hitting her head and wandering off in a state of confusion. She survived by drinking rainwater from puddles and sleeping in a cave before she was spotted by local farmer Tania French near Beacon. Bonnie Rock farmer Andrew Sprigg said he rallied a group of locals together after learning the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions had been called in to retrieve the van. He said the vehicle was removed by a 20t loader which ploughed through the dense bushland last weekend. 'I heard the DBCA were in charge with the recovery and I knew their resources would be stretched, so I contacted (a mate) in Merredin and we got approval to run a loader out there to clear the track,' he told The West Australian. 'We thought we could do it with an old 4WD but (the bush) was too thick. 'There's no track . . . the police damaged their vehicles extensively getting down the track as it was.' Mr Sprigg said it took four days to retrieve the van, and said it was being stored in a local shed for one of Ms Wilga's friends to collect. Fellow farmer Kim Graham helped with the retrieval and said he was happy to lend a hand, given his extensive knowledge of the land. 'At the end of the day you've got someone from the other side of the world that needs a hand, and it's not the most easiest terrain for the authorities to get to,' he told 6PR on Thursday. 'I suppose being locals, we've got a bit of an idea (about the area) . . . for us guys to be able to help out, it's the least we can do, that's what the community does.' '(We knew) it was going to be tough terrain to retrieve, and probably going to cost more than it's even worth for the authorities to do it, and for us guys to be help out ... that's what the community does.' He said the van was in 'pretty good condition' with some 'minor dents and scratches.' Mr Graham said he was part of the initial search effort to find Ms Wilga and said it was a miracle she was found alive. 'We put our plane up and we had guys on the ground looking around with utes and motorbikes,' he said. 'At the end of the day she's got a story to tell, she may not have made it (because) it was -4C here one morning, (it was) pretty tough conditions, so she's very, very lucky. 'I think it's probably a good lesson if we're to take the positives out of it, and that's to make sure that we're covered with our safety whether it's (taking) EPIRBs or satellites if we're going off grid.' Mr Sprigg urged travellers to educate themselves on WA's harsh climate before venturing into the outback. 'My cousin hires campervans out and he has a lot of issues with European backpackers, they follow Google Maps and it leads them into all sorts of strange places,' he said. 'I think there needs to be better planning and better safety and awareness.' Ms Wilga spent four nights recovering in Fiona Stanley Hospital before being discharged on July 16. She returned her family's home town, Castrop-Rauxe, on July 20.
