Heartfelt floral tributes have been left at the crash site, just metres from Corowa High School.
“When I heard that two kids had been killed in my town in the middle of town, I felt physically ill,” Corowa Sergeant Stephen Marshall said of horrific crash that unfolded on Redlands Road last Tuesday night.
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“My staff described it to me as a confronting, tragic, unnecessary loss of life.”
According to Murray River Police, it is believed that the Ford Falcon may have attempted to overtake the Holden Commodore, resulting in a collision between the two vehicles before the Ford ultimately crashed into a tree, just outside of Corowa High School.
The female passenger of the Ford, Kasie Parker, 19, succumbed to her injuries at the scene while the Ford’s driver, 18-year-old man Daniel Moffitt, was extricated from the wreckage and rushed to Albury Base Hospital but passed away en route.
The driver of the Holden Commodore, also an 18-year-old man was taken to Corowa Hospital for mandatory testing.
Investigators are examining whether the Ford driven by Daniel may have collided with his twin brother’s Holden sedan.
Murray River Traffic and Highway Patrol Inspector Scott Trewhella said the investigation is in its early stages.
“Any investigation we conduct in relation to these matters considers all factors, and that’s everything from if people were driving in a dangerous manner to if they were impaired by drugs or alcohol, if speed was a factor, if they were distracted,” he said.
Inspector Trewhella also acknowledged the emotional toll this incident took on first responders and the community.
“When you’ve got persons who have unfortunately lost their life in that collision, and then people who are still trapped and requiring assistance, it’s absolutely distressing,” he said.
He urged the community to exercise caution on the road, stressing that “no one should be losing their life on the road.”
Sergeant Marshall, who was out of town when the crash occurred, praised local emergency crews and the community following their tremendous efforts to assist at the scene of the crash.
“The response to the crash was a testament to the strength of community and the dedication of emergency services,” he said.
“All available ambulance staff and police from Mulwala and Howlong, members of the VRA (Corowa Rescue Squad) and Corowa Fire and Rescue personnel were dispatched to assist.
Corowa Sergeant Stephen Marshall has praised the community and first responders who assisted at the crash scene.
“Everyone stepped up to the plate, no one service did any better than the other. It also can’t be overstated the effect something of this magnitude has on every emergency responder and the nurses and doctors at the Corowa Hospital.”
“Police at the scene said they couldn’t say enough about the VRA. They were described to me as ‘absolute gods in green’. They are champions.
“We had them (VRA) doing jobs that traditionally fall into the scope of NSW Police such as crowd control both at the hospital and at the scene.
“The VRA debriefing highlighted that with close to 100 per cent knowing the family and/or the victims.
“Albury and Border Rescue Squad’s Paul Marshall was in attendance at this debriefing and passed on his thoughts on behalf of all NSW squads to the Corowa members.
“It cannot be overstated the effect something of this magnitude has on emergency responders who themselves are part of the community. The degrees of separation are only minimal.”
A crime scene has been established with officers from the Crash Investigation Unit investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Police are urging anyone with dashcam footage or information about the incident to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Speculation serves no one
As the community seeks to find answers to the tragedy, Sergeant Marshall cautioned against unwarranted speculation,
“Seeking to know what happened or form an opinion about what occurred can damage the investigation,” Sergeant Marshall stressed.
“Don’t engage in these ill-informed scenarios of what happened.
“These were children. Consider the families who are currently suffering the most profound grief.
“It was a terrible crash and now a number of families are suffering.
“We have lost two lives, combined with a third young person outside of Howlong in the last few months. That’s three too many.
“Our support goes out to these families and to Rivalea.
“Whatever the reason for the crash, the truth will come out in the coroner’s findings.”
Local police will be increasing their presence in Corowa and surrounds in coming weeks, collaborating closely with highway patrol cross-border counterparts to target speeding, alcohol, and drug-related offenses.
