Yalgoo crash: Group involved in tragic triple fatal driving back to Geraldton from Meekatharra funeral

The shocking crash in the Mid West that took the life of a mother, her baby and another woman happened as they were travelling back to Geraldton from a funeral. Six people were in a Toyota Hilux when it rolled on the Geraldton-Mt Magnet Road in Yalgoo, about 500km north of Perth, on Saturday night. Truck drivers were the first on the scene of the crash, with the location so remote it took ambulances more than an hour to reach it. The boy only weeks old and the woman, 21, died at the scene. Four others — the 33-year-old mother, two men aged 22 and a man aged 43 — were taken to Royal Perth Hospital. The mother died in hospital. On Monday morning, one of the 22-year-old men was still in a critical condition, with the other two stabilised. It is understood the group were travelling back to Geraldton after attending a funeral in Meekatharra. Major crash officers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. St John WA confirmed that four ambulance crews were sent from Mullewa and Mt Magnet, with the first sent at 10.55pm. The first ambulance arrived at the scene about 12.05am. Separate ambulances took two people to Mt Magnet, while another two crews toook two others to Geraldton, where they were met by the Royal Flying Doctor Service and flown to Perth. Yalgoo Shire chief executive and fire brigade volunteer Ian Holland was one of the first at the scene and thanked members of the public who assisted. “The truck drivers were the first ones out there and they did a great job helping,” he said. There have been 113 deaths on WA roads in 2024, making it the worst road toll in a decade for this time of year. Of the deaths in 2024, 46 people have been killed on city roads and 67 have lost their lives driving in the country. The Mid West has seen a shocking run of serious and fatal crashes in recent months. Last week, a 36-year-old man lost his life in a crash between a van and a truck in Eurardy, about 150km north of Geraldton. In July, a 62-year-old man died on Indian Ocean Drive in Jurien Bay in a single-vehicle crash, while an 18-year-old woman died in hospital following a crash on Canover Road in Jurien Bay that involved three children as passengers, who all survived. In June, friends Coral Seinor and Thelma Clausen, 83 and 82, died in a crash on Brand Highway in Cooljarloo, near Cataby, involving their Suzuki, a Toyota Prado, and a road train. Former AFL player Shannon Cox has been charged over their deaths. Also in June, a 61-year-old cyclist was killed in a collision with a van on Brand Highway in South Greenough. In May, 19-year-old Alexx Wright died when they got out of a parked on Indian Ocean Drive near Jurien Bay and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. Jurien Bay woman Brooke Narelle Hicks, 45, has been charged over that crash. Speaking in the Pilbara on Sunday, Premier Roger Cook said the Yalgoo crash was particularly traumatic. “Three people have lost their lives in tragic, tragic circumstances,” he said. “Because of where that situation is, the first responders were largely volunteers. So our hearts go out to the families of the victims and the first responders. We thank them for their incredible work. “It must have been a harrowing scene, and we wish everyone who is touched by this incident all the best.” Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said the tragedy had left him lost for words. “Sometimes it is just very difficult to know what to say — and today is one of those days,” he said on Sunday. Mr Warner said there were “no silver-bullet solutions” to reducing road fatalities. He said the Government was running road safety campaigns, developing new schools-based education programs, and working with the community on “specific solutions”. But he said “sometimes all of this is just not enough” and drivers needed to take more responsibility.