Latest news with #Hilux
Sky News AU
a day ago
- Sky News AU
'It's a tragedy': Father and two kids among four killed as Queensland Police reveal details into fatal rural crash
Police have revealed fresh details into the fatal head-on crash which saw a mother witness her fiancé and two children die in Queensland's Central Highlands on Sunday. Just before 11am on Sunday a Holden Commodore collided with a Toyota Hilux on the Capricorn Highway between Comet and Blackwater. Four people inside the Commodore - father Shaun Ranger, seven-year-old Baylee, six-year-old Chandler, and another man - were killed in the crash. Ranger's fiancé Renee and their youngest daughter Saphora, aged two, were travelling behind them as the tragedy unfolded. The family is understood to have been returning from a camping trip. Officers said the two vehicles collided at 'very high speed' on the Capricorn Highway before both cars caught fire. 'Initial investigations indicate a Holden Commodore travelling towards Blackwater with four occupants struck a Toyota Hilux utility containing two occupants travelling in the opposite direction,' the police said. 'The driver, a 28-year-old man, six-year-old boy, seven-year-old girl and 32-year-old man died as a result of the crash.' Two men in the Hilux, believed to have been driving to work, were also injured. Paramedics took a 28-year-old man to hospital in a serious but stable condition and flew a 27-year-old man to Brisbane for treatment for life-threatening injuries. On Monday, Inspector Ben Wiltshire said the mother was at the scene of the crash when police arrived. "It was a very high-speed crash with significant damage to both vehicles, fire was involved and the injuries to the people involved were horrific," Wiltshire said. 'It's a tragedy that reverberates not just through the families, but through the entire Central Highlands community. 'It's very early days in the investigation and it would be premature for me to speculate on who was at fault or the reasons for the crash at this stage.' Inspector Wiltshire said Central Queensland have a larger proportion of people who are involved in crashes because of fatigue and the distances between town across the region. 'Every time you get into a vehicle, you are conducting a high-risk activity,' he said. 'It is this case, it's two young kids who aren't going to play ball or play an instrument ever again in their lives. 'It is about people. It's about families.' The Central Highlands region, about 850km north of Brisbane, stretches from Rockhampton in the east to Emerald and Alpha in the west. A GoFundMe has been started for the surviving members of the family by friend Chantel Semple. "Shaun, Baylee and Chandler were cherished and loved by many and brought so much joy and light into our lives," Ms Semple said. 'Baylee, aged 7, had a cheeky smile, bubbly personality and a love for horses. 'Chandler, aged 6, was a sweet and kind-hearted little boy, full of life and loved the outdoors. 'Shaun a dedicated and selfless father, supportive friend and loving partner.' Ms Semple said the family friends are still coming to terms with the 'unimaginable loss'. 'I hope to relieve the extra stress and heartache that this family already have to endure by raising much-needed funds to cover costs for funeral expenses and support Renee and little Saphora,' she said. 'We are all very heartbroken over this unexpected loss and want to give them the send off they deserve, a meaningful goodbye, surrounded by the people who love them.' As of Monday afternoon, $34,036 from 453 donations has been raised from a $45,000 target. Investigations into the incident are continuing. Anyone with dashcam footage or information about the crash are encouraged to contact police. The tragic crash has brought Queensland's road toll to 16 deaths in just seven days. As of July 20, a total of 158 people have died due to road crashes this year in Queensland. Central Queensland has so far recorded 25 deaths on the state's roads.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: Why are road bullies being let off easy?
Road bullying is becoming an uncontrolled menace. A July 17 incident in Klang shows why. A video of the incident shows a Toyota Hilux driver getting out of his vehicle, kicking and punching the window of a Perdua Myvi after failing to open the car's door. What irked people was what followed moments later. A policeman tried to stop him, but struggled, especially when the road bully's friend joined in and threw punches at the policeman. Another law broken by two men gone berserk: stopping a police officer from discharging his duty. Yet no attempt was made by the policeman to record the registration number of the Hilux as it sped away. The response by other road users was pathetic, to say the least. They chose to watch the policeman struggle to stop the Hilux occupants instead of going to the law enforcer's help. We shouldn't be surprised. Apathy is a known Malaysian malady. To people who have seen the video, the conclusion was inevitable. The aggressors were handled with kid gloves when an all-point bulletin should have been sent out to arrest them for at least any one of the multiple offences committed. Yes, the policeman was overpowered. Other motorists were of no help. Now the bullies are roaming free, only to interpret their freedom as a licence to roam the nation's roads to display their rage as they please. More dangerously, the kid-glove treatment is also a signal to other road bullies that they, too, would be similarly treated. Such people who so easily go berserk behind the wheel are a danger to other road users. Those with long recall will remember a road rage incident that caused death on the North-South Expressway in 2019. he driver was sentenced to 16 years in jail. While road users are comforted that they will be spared the rage of the berserk driver for that many years, there are others out there with uncontrolled rage, as the July 17 incident shows. The police only know this too well, and they must act accordingly. The public-police relationship is one of mutual dependence, best expressed by the police's motto: the police and the community are inseparable. The public looks to the police to deliver certain standards of service, and the police in turn rely on public trust and support. But public trust and support have to be earned. Actions and behaviour of the police are the "earners", so to speak. The top management of the police has repeatedly made this clear to the police force. Incidents such as the kid-glove treatment of the Hilux duo by the police would certainly erode them, if social media comments are anything to go by. We must certainly applaud the policeman for stopping the aggressive driver and his accomplice. If not for his intervention, the incident could have turned nastier for the Myvi driver. But that is where our applause stops. The police must throw the statute book at the Hilux duo and others out there for the applause to return.
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Suspect fatally shot during attempted hijacking on R21
An attempted hijacking occurred on the R21 South near Emperors Palace on Friday morning, July 18. According to Kempton Park SAPS spokesperson, Sergeant Dipuo Ditshego, police received a report of a murder and attempted hijacking shortly after 09:30. On arrival at the scene, it was established that a group of suspects travelling in a blue Nissan X-Trail and a white Nissan NP300 attempted to hijack a white Toyota Hilux GD6. Also read: Three arrested, stolen vehicle and firearm recovered during crime crackdown During the confrontation, the driver of the Hilux allegedly opened fire, fatally shooting one of the suspects. Law enforcement officers, including the SAPS' Trio Crimes Unit responded to the scene. The body of the deceased was later transported to the Germiston mortuary. Police confirmed that no official case number had been registered at the time of the report, but investigations are ongoing. Authorities are yet to confirm whether any additional suspects were apprehended or injured during the incident. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- New Straits Times
Pickup driver goes berserk, lashes out at motorist, traffic cop
KUALA LUMPUR: A man was seen behaving aggressively and resisting a traffic police officer in a viral video, believed to have been recorded in Klang. The incident followed a road altercation triggered by another vehicle cutting into his lane. In the incident that happened at about 6pm on July 17, the man, who was driving a Toyota Hilux, was seen getting out of his vehicle while traffic was at a standstill. As traffic began to move and the man had not yet returned to his vehicle, a Perodua Myvi entered his lane. The Hilux driver tried to wedge his vehicle between the Myvi and another car. He was seen striking the Myvi and demanding that the other driver move his vehicle. During the altercation, the Myvi appeared to hit the Hilux. The Hilux driver got out and struck the Myvi, but was stopped by a traffic police officer. Despite this, he continued attempting to attack the Myvi driver, who was still in his car.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- New Straits Times
Driver in viral video seen attacking vehicle, confronting policeman
KUALA LUMPUR: A man was seen behaving aggressively and resisting a traffic police officer in a viral video, believed to have been recorded in Klang. The incident followed a road altercation triggered by another vehicle cutting into his lane. In the incident that happened at about 6pm on July 17, the man, who was driving a Toyota Hilux, was seen getting out of his vehicle while traffic was at a standstill. As traffic began to move and the man had not yet returned to his vehicle, a Perodua Myvi entered his lane. The Hilux driver tried to wedge his vehicle between the Myvi and another car. He was seen striking the Myvi and demanding that the other driver move his vehicle. During the altercation, the Myvi appeared to hit the Hilux. The Hilux driver got out and struck the Myvi, but was stopped by a traffic police officer. Despite this, he continued attempting to attack the Myvi driver, who was still in his car.
