Calls for road rule change after devastating accident involving caravan: 'I lost everything'
The heartbroken loved ones of a young Australian bystander who was struck down in an unimaginable "freak" five-car crash accident last year are pushing for urgent changes to road laws to prevent others from suffering a similar fate.
Zach Wilson, 27, from Little Mountain on the Sunshine Coast, happened to be working on the side of the road when a ute towing a caravan allegedly veered into oncoming traffic, striking five other vehicles in Mooloolaba on October 4. The driver of the ute was believed to have suffered an epileptic fit behind the wheel, resulting in him completely losing control.
One of the vehicles hit a parked car as a result of the impact, which was then pushed onto Zach. He was pinned beneath the vehicle for some time before being transferred to hospital, where he later died from brain injuries. Zach, a council garden worker, had recently become engaged to his partner Lucy, who is spearheading the calls for change.
Lucy, along with her mother Jodie and Zach's mother Mary, believe Queensland's road rules should be updated to limit the weight that drivers with medical conditions can operate. Currently, drivers are required to inform authorities if they have a medical condition, though there are no specific regulations governing what types of vehicles they are allowed to drive or tow.
The family believe that if the driver of the ute had been in a smaller vehicle, he would not have ploughed through four cars and then hit a fifth vehicle with such force. Because he had four tonnes of weight behind him, he was effectively a "battering ram", they said.
They have launched a petition to push for more restrictions on drivers with known medical conditions, including limiting vehicle types, restrictions on towing and a ban on bull bars.
"Immediate action is crucial to prevent further tragedies and ensure that the privilege of driving comes with the responsibility to protect others on the road," the petition says.
Eight months on, Lucy is still struggling to come to grips with the unfathomable tragedy. "I will love him for the rest of my life, but I will never get to love him again," she told A Current Affair in an interview aired overnight, adding that the couple were due to move in together, and now be on their honeymoon.
"I wanted to live my life with Zach, and I won't get to ... I've lost everything."
Lucy said that if the laws had been different at the time of the accident, Zach might still be alive.
"If [the ute owner] was driving a smaller car, he would have hit the first car, and that would have been the end of it," she said. "It wouldn't have gone on for 200 metres and hit Zach. If he were in a smaller car, he would still be alive."
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The tragedy of the accident weighs heavy on Mary every day.
"It's my absolute worst nightmare. I'm just trying to survive each day, I'm actually living in hell," she said. "Our lives will never be the same ever again, and so much has been lost."
The family are urging the Queensland government to limit drivers with medical conditions to only be allowed to operate smaller, lower-powered vehicles like sedans; ban bull bars due to their heightened risk in crashes, and restrict the towing of heavy loads such as caravans and boats.
In addition, they are calling for the introduction of accountability measures to ensure drivers with known medical conditions are held responsible if those conditions contribute to an incident.
At the time of writing, the petition has more than 1,200 signatures.
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