- Three dead in car crash in Yalgoo, Washington
- Devastated relatives paid tribute
- WARNING: This article contains images of deceased indigenous people
A baby and two women who died in a horror crash while returning home from a funeral have been identified, while their family reveal what they believe may have caused the accident.
Marrika Brockman, 33, her five-week-old son Levi and niece Gabrielle, 21, were travelling in the van with their partners when it overturned on the Geraldton-Mt Magnet Road in Yalgoo, Western Australia’s Midwest, about 11pm on Saturday.
Gabrielle and baby Levi were pronounced dead at the scene.
Marrika was taken to hospital, where she later died.
Gabrielle’s partner Jeffrey Indich, 22, is in a critical condition at Royal Perth Hospital, while Marrika’s partner Dwayne Ashwin is in a stable condition.
The man believed to have been driving has since been released from hospital.
The group had spent the day at a family funeral in Meerkatharra and were about halfway through their 535-kilometre journey back to Geraldton when the accident happened.
Marrika is known to have been holding baby Levi, who was born just five weeks ago, on her lap while sitting in the back seat.
Levi Ashwin (pictured) died in the horrific accident in Yalgoo on Saturday
The accident also claimed the lives of his mother Marrika Brockman (pictured) and his aunt.
Devastated relatives have spoken out to pay tribute to their loved ones and highlight the dangers of driving while tired, which they believe was the cause of the crash.
Marrika’s mother, Cynthia Little, said her daughter was a loving mother and that little Levi, who was born prematurely on July 4, always wanted to be held in his mother’s arms.
She added that Levi was a much loved child and adored by his older siblings, particularly Marrika’s eldest son, Michael, 15.
‘(Marrika) was very proud of that baby, she did everything she could,’ Cynthia said. Western Australia.
“It was always a tug-of-war with his mother over the baby because sometimes she would scream, ‘Michael, give me my baby back,’ and he would run away with the baby, you know, hide in another room or something.”
Phyllis Little, Gabrielle’s mother, described her daughter as a happy little girl who was always smiling, playing and laughing.
This was the second tragic accident that occurred in recent years after she lost her son to the flu in 2018.
The group crashed in Yalgoo (pictured) while travelling home to Geraldton after attending a funeral.
Cynthia urged drivers to stop and take breaks when traveling long distances to avoid fatigue on the roads.
“Take a nap on the side of the road, don’t be afraid. Just go over there and sleep, no matter where you are or how far you are from the city,” he said.
The tragedy has rocked the Geraldton community, with tributes pouring in online for the women and Levi.
Mount County Magnet President Jim McGorman said his wife had previously taught Marrika and Gabrielle and described the tragedy as “incomprehensible.”
“They went to school here; my wife taught two of the girls involved in the incident, so it’s pretty close to a lot of us,” he said.
Their deaths brought the state’s road accident toll for the year to the highest in more than a decade, with 114 people killed so far.
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