EXCLUSIVE
Two young women who died in a horrific car crash have been identified as friends paid tribute to the “beautiful” “angels”.
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 in the Southern Highlands, 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.
Tributes have begun to pour in for the three victims of the crash, all from the Shoalhaven region on the south coast of New South Wales.
A friend said she described Ms Quinn as an “amazing friend”.
“She always had time for everyone, always kind and positive, was loved by everyone and had an infectious smile,” they told Daily Mail Australia.
Another friend said she would be “gone, but never forgotten.”
Charlie Quinn, 18, has been remembered as a “beautiful girl”
Brooke Sorlie, 21, has been remembered by her friends as a “beautiful angel”
“You will be with many Char,” they said.
Rest easy, girl. The love I feel for you will never end.
One of Ms Sorlie’s friends said she “always had a smile that brightened anyone’s day”.
“I will always cherish my memories of you, beautiful girl,” he said.
“I love you Brookie Chookie.”
Another friend of Ms Sorlie wrote online: “Fly high you beautiful angel.”
‘Looking up to the sky for you.’
According to social media posts, Ms Quinn left Bomaderry Highschool around June last year and was pursuing further education through TAFE.
Ms Sorlie, a keen horse rider, graduated from St John the Evangelist Catholic High School in Nowra several years ago.
Photos posted online show the girls having the time of their lives – going on holiday with their boyfriends, attending music festivals and hanging out with friends.
One of the photos posted in December 2021 shows Ms Quinn, standing next to her father, smiling as she holds a newly earned apprentice badge.
“Congratulations, miss,” a family friend commented.
‘The world is yours now, but walk carefully.’
Daily Mail Australia understands the group were travelling back to their home in the Shoalhaven region at the time of the crash.
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.
“They were unconscious. We were doing CPR on them but it wasn’t working. It was horrible,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
The girls died along with a male passenger when the vehicle left the road and overturned in Tarago.
‘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.
The tragedy has sparked outrage online as locals criticise the state of the road, which is frequented by freight trucks.
“One of the worst roads I’ve ever driven on. Potholes patched everywhere. It’s been a horror for years,” one person said.
Another added: “The roads are a disgrace. I drive on them a lot and it’s not fair that they are in this condition.”
One woman said there was a concrete slab lying on the road near the accident site, which could pose an obstacle for drivers.
“My family members were the first to arrive at the scene and there was a huge square chunk of concrete on the road that appeared to have caused the accident,” she wrote online.
However, another rescuer told Daily Mail Australia he did not remember seeing the object on the road.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
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