Appeal to identify family involved in Telegraph Point collision

Port Macquarie Police are appealing for public assistance in identifying the members of a family involved in a serious motor vehicle collision near Port Macquarie on the State's mid-north coast yesterday.

About 11:20am yesterday (Wednesday 5th January 2005), a northbound Holden Astra and a southbound Hyundai Lantra were travelling on the Pacific Highway when they collided at Wilsons Bridge, Telegraph Point.

The late-model silver four-door Astra, which was carrying two adults and three children, burst into flames on impact. A passing motorist assisted in removing the occupants of the Astra, and the family members were initially taken to Port Macquarie Base Hospital for treatment. The Astra hatchback suffered extensive damage as a result of the fire investigators are unable to determine its registration details.

The two adults, a man and a woman, are being treated for extensive burns and multiple fractures. Due to their condition and the nature of their injuries, police are unable to determine exact details regarding their identity. The children have also been unable to provide investigators with full information as to their family background or next-of-kin.

The mother and father are described as being possibly of South American origin, possibly aged in their mid 30s, and of solid build. The female is undergoing treatment at Sydney's Concord Hospital, while the male is in Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital.

The eldest child is described as being male, about 8-years-old, with an olive complexion, dark hair, and of solid build. He is currently in Westmead Childrens Hospital with critical internal injuries.

A second boy is described as being about 6-years-old, olive complexion, of medium build and with dark hair. He has told Police that the family comes from Liverpool and has relatives in Sydney, but has been unable to provide any further information.

The third child, a girl, is described as being about 14-months-old, of olive complexion, medium build, and with dark hair. Both children are in Port Macquarie Base Hospital where they are being treated for minor injuries.

Police are appealing for anyone who may know the identity of the family, or individual members, to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to contact Port Macquarie Police on 6583-0199 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

No fatalities reported for Day 13 of Operation Safe Arrival

The NSW Christmas/New Year holiday road toll remains at 15 for Operation Safe Arrival, with no fatal crashes reported on day 13.

As Operation Safe Arrival comes to a close tomorrow at 11.59pm Friday 7th January 2005, police are reminding motorists to slow down, wear seat belts and don’t drink and drive and take regular rest breaks.

Traffic Services Commander, Chief Superintendent John Hartley said he was concerned about the number of drivers who still believe they can drive well above the speed limit.

“Despite all the publicity about the state’s fatal accidents this holiday period, we have still caught over 18,000 drivers speeding. This is an extremely disappointing result,” said Supt Hartley.

“We are simply asking people to listen to the messages we are sending and slow down.”

“It appears many motorists in the Northern Region are neglecting to heed our warnings, with figures from 2003 and 2004 showing the region recorded the highest number of speeding offences for day 13 of Operation Safe Arrival in the state.”

“There were 210 drivers detected yesterday in the Northern Region, and while that’s down from 376 this time last year, these are still alarming statistics.”

“Police will remain out in force to detect speeding drivers, and you can be sure, if you speed you will be caught,” said Supt Hartley.

Since Operation Safe Arrival began at 12.01am on Friday 24th December, NSW Police have charged more than 18,358 motorists for speeding offences, compared with 27,735 the same time last year. There have been 12,806 traffic infringement notices issued for offences other than speeding. So far 318,352 people have been breath tested with 1,245 people charged.