Road warning
4WD driver ‘had nowhere to go’ to avoid head-on collision on narrow stretch of road
About 40 minutes southeast of Townsville lies the fishing village of Cungulla, facing out to sea towards the Great Barrier Reef. With streets named after iconic Australian fish species like John Dory Ct, Mackerel St and Snapper Ct, there’s no mistaking the favourite pastime of most of the residents of this tiny hamlet.
For those who live in Cungulla it is the ideal escape from the “big smoke” of Townvsille and has mostly been a little known spot on NQ’S meandering coastline.
But, as city people venture further away from their home bases to explore more of our country, especially after the lockdowns of Covid, an increasing amount of vehicles are using our roads in remote areas.
Cungulla’s seaside peace was shattered on Easter Monday when a sedan crashed head-on with a 4WD carrying two locals along a narrow stretch of Goodsell Rd.
The sedan driver died at the scene and the two occupants of the 4WD, an 81-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman — despite the fireball that engulfed both vehicles — managed to escape with serious injuries.
Cungulla resident Loretta Woodford said the horrific crash had shaken the community.
“It’s a small community so most people know each other here and we’re just wishing them a speedy recovery in hospital,” she said.
The crash — which is the second fatal accident to happen along Goodsell Rd in just over two years — has renewed calls for the road to be upgraded among some locals.
“It is a narrow, small country road so people have to drive to the conditions,” Mrs Woodford said.
Senior Sergeant District Duty Officer Scott Warrick said the Toyota 4WD involved in the crash “had nowhere to go or react” due to how narrow the road was.
Like most holiday periods, too many Australians lost their lives in road crashes over the Easter weekend.
They often occur because of a variety of human factors, including fatigue, drink or drug driving or not driving to the conditions.
But manageble elements such as road quality should never be a contributor to the annual national road toll.