Adored local postman killed in horror South West crash

Perth Now

2 days ago

An adored grandfather and local postman had been on his daily postie run when he was tragically killed in a horror crash near the South West town of Bridgetown earlier this week.
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 73-year-old suffered serious injuries and died at the scene. Credit: Supplied
The occupants of the Landcruiser, including a 19-year-old male driver, received minor injuries.
Monday marked the second tragedy in eight months for the family after Mr Cahill's son Glen Cahillwas allegedly king hit outside Hillarys Beach Club on Melbourne Cup day last year.
He was left fighting for life after the attack but miraculously survived.
In a statement to The West Australian, the Cahill family said Gary Cahill's 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. Karen and Gary Cahill. Credit: Supplied
'(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.' Mr Cahill worked in Bridgetown for more than two decades. Pictured: Denise, Karen and Gary Cahill. Credit: Supplied
Police Commissioner Col Blanch said he was 'frustrated' by the rising number of road fatalities in WA 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.'