Legendary all-rounder dead at 46
FORMER Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds was tragically killed in a car crash outside Townsville late on Saturday night.
The former Queensland and Australian all-rounder was driving on Hervey Range Rd toward the Alice River bridge when his car came off the road and rolled about 11pm.
A pair of nearby residents who heard the crash were the first on the scene and sounded the alarm.
Babetha Neliman and her partner Waylon Townson rushed to the scene minutes after the crash.
They found Symonds unresponsive, partly out of the vehicle on the passenger side.
Ms Neliman said that country music had been playing from the vehicle, and that the car’s hazard lights were flashing.
“My partner tried to get him out of the car, to put him on his back,” Ms Neliman said.
“He was unconscious, not responsive and had no pulse.”
Two dogs, who had been inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, survived the rollover.
Ms Neliman said one of the dogs, a blue heeler, did not want to leave Symonds’s side.
“It would just growl at you every time we tried to move him or go near him,” she said.
It is understood the dogs are now in the care of a friend or family member of Symonds.
Symonds’s wife Laura, daughter Chloe and son Billy flew to Townsville from Syd
ney after they were told of his death.
In a press conference in Townsville on Sunday, Acting Inspector Gavin Oates said paramedics had been working to save Symonds, who had been located outside of the vehicle.
Despite their efforts to save him, the 46-year-old died from his injuries at the scene.
As to whether a cause of the crash had been ascertained, Inspector Oates said the matter was still under investigation.
He said investigations would include whether or not the presence of alcohol or drugs had been a contributing factor.
“As per normal procedure, that will be looked at and form part of the final report to the coroner,” Inspector Oates said.
Inspector Oates could not confirm why Symonds had been travelling on the road before the crash.
He said driving at night time was always a risk.
“Driving at night time always comes with inherent risk,” Inspector Oates said.
“We always advise people to be cautious when driving late at night, and especially on country roads where there are other obstacles or risks associated with driving in those areas.”
Hervey Range Rd travels northwest from Townsville towards Greenvale, and is a rural access road.
It was not known how long investigations into the cause of the crash would take. Investigations are ongoing. Former Broncos stars Corey Parker and Michael Ennis paid tribute to Symonds, who was a massive Broncos fan and a friend and colleague of Parker and Ennis.
“We are in mourning of the great man Roy, Andrew Symonds,” Parker said.
“We woke up to the tragic news this morning to hear of his passing.
“From my point of view I’ve never come across a guy that has such a presence in any room he walked into.
“I know he is loved for cricket, but he also had a high passion for rugby league and the Broncos and Cowboys and also fishing.
“I was fortunate enough to be a part of Roy’s life at different stages. He would come into the change rooms at Red Hill and also out on the training paddocks. To rub shoulders with a guy that puts a smile on everyone’s face no matter what may be going on.”