A teenager is in police custody after allegedly fleeing a car crash that killed her younger brother, as witnesses recount her heartbreaking cries for help moments after the accident.
Police said the couple were travelling along the Pacific Highway at Charmhaven when the car left the road and crashed into a tree at around 1.30am on Wednesday.
They said the 19-year-old woman was driving and fled the scene of the crash on foot, before being located and taken to Gosford Hospital under police supervision.
His 17-year-old brother, who was in the passenger seat, died at the scene.
“Speed appears to be a factor in the crash,” New South Wales Police Inspector David Piddington said.
“The road is for driving, you have to drive according to the conditions and ultimately if you drive according to the conditions and respect the speed limits, we would not have had this accident today.”
A witness said he heard the woman’s cries for help moments after the accident.
The 19-year-old driver fled the scene of the accident but was located a short time later and taken to Gosford Hospital.
The Pacific Highway was closed in both directions near Charmhaven as police investigated the scene.
“I heard this last night, the girls’ cries for help will break my heart forever,” they said.
Another claimed he saw the teenager driving “erratically” before the crash.
The Pacific Highway was closed in both directions between Moala Parade and Jetty Avenue following the accident.
The crash comes just a day after the victims of another horrific crash in the state’s Southern Highlands were identified as friends.
Brooke Sorlie, 21, and Charlie Quinn, 18, were travelling in a car with two men, aged 21 and 20, through Tarago, about 40 kilometres south of Goulburn, when the vehicle left the road and overturned at about 1.10pm on Sunday.
Ms Sorlie, Ms Quinn and the 20-year-old man died at the scene, while the 21-year-old driver escaped with minor injuries.
He was able to exit the vehicle unassisted and was taken to Canberra Hospital for treatment and mandatory blood tests.
A woman who was one of the first to respond to the scene said she and other bystanders worked desperately to save the lives of the other man and woman while they waited for emergency services to arrive.
The van was travelling on the Pacific Highway at Charmhaven when it veered off the road and crashed into a tree at around 1.30am on Wednesday.
Police are investigating the crash in Charmhaven (marked above) while officers monitor the driver in hospital.
‘Light vehicles are being diverted via Moala Pde, Panorama Ave and Jetty Ave. Heavy vehicles should use the M1 instead. Please allow extra time.’
The family has been notified and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
The crash comes just a day after the victims of another horrific crash in the state’s Southern Highlands were identified as friends.
Brooke Sorlie, 21, and Charlie Quinn, 18, were travelling in a car with two men, aged 21 and 20, through Tarago, about 40 kilometres south of Goulburn, when the vehicle left the road and overturned at about 1.10pm on Sunday.
Ms Sorlie, Ms Quinn and the 20-year-old man died at the scene, while the 21-year-old driver escaped with minor injuries.
He was able to exit the vehicle unassisted and was taken to Canberra Hospital for treatment and mandatory blood tests.
A woman who was one of the first to respond to the scene said she and other bystanders worked desperately to save the lives of the other man and woman while they waited for emergency services to arrive.
The Charmhaven crash comes after Charlie Quinn (pictured) died after a vehicle carrying her, her friend Brooke Sorlie and two men left the road 40km south of Goulburn on Sunday.
Brooke Sorlie (pictured), Ms Quinn and a 20-year-old man died at the scene, while the 21-year-old driver escaped with minor injuries.
“They were unconscious. We were doing CPR on them but it wasn’t working. It was horrible,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘A girl was still trapped in the car – the driver’s girlfriend. I can still hear her screams.
‘He was screaming to try to get into the car and get his girlfriend out.’
Special accident investigators are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash, including whether speed was a factor.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.