Crash chaos: Spate of serious crashes leaves Albany public on edge, prompts police to ramp up presence

A spate of serious crashes in the Albany region has put members of the public on edge and prompted “frustrated” police to ramp up their presence on the roads. A 76-year-old man became the latest person to lose their life in a crash in the Great Southern on Monday last week, when his Toyota RAV4 rolled north of Denmark. His death took regional WA’s annual road toll to 72 — nearly double that of the metropolitan area. However, a look back at other crashes in recent weeks suggests that tragic figure could easily have been higher. On Friday afternoon, a motorcycle and an SUV collided on Hardie Road in Spencer Park, leaving three people needing treatment at Albany Health Campus. A 12-year-old, who was a passenger on the motorcycle, was rushed to hospital, where he remained in a stable condition on Monday. The 33-year-old male rider of the motorcycle and 67-year-old occupant of the SUV have been discharged. The previous day, a man was lucky to escape serious injury after his station wagon rolled and came to rest on its roof on Middleton Road in Mt Clarence. The crash on Thursday afternoon brought down a light pole and forced the closure of a section of Middleton Road. On Friday, September 9, two vehicles were involved in a head-on collision on Albany Highway in McKail. The driver of one of the vehicles, a 30-year-old Mt Barker man, is facing a charge of excess .08 after allegedly recording a blood alcohol level of 0.122. Two men in their 50s were taken to Albany Health Campus after sustaining non-life-threatening injuries in the other vehicle. Police are still investigating those three crashes and would like to speak anyone with information. A terrible few weeks on the roads in September comes after a tragic August, when Albany was rocked by the death of mother of four Nicole Weeden in a head-on collision on Albany Highway. Three other crashes in Albany in August have now led to drivers being charged. On August 7, a head-on collision on South Coast Highway in Gledhow forced the closure of the highway but luckily did not result in serious injuries. A 24-year-old man has since been charged with excess .08 and careless driving over the crash. On August 4, there were two crashes within two hours on the same stretch of Ulster Road in Spencer Park. One of the crashes, between a small school bus and a motorcycle, left the 52-year-old female rider injured and the 59-year-old male bus driver facing a charge of careless driving. Two hours earlier, a 29-year-old woman was involved in a three-car crash that led to her being convicted of excess .08 and careless driving. The woman was fined a total of $1250 and her licence was disqualified for six months. On July 31, a young woman had to be rescued from her semi-submerged vehicle after driving into Princess Royal Harbour from Princess Royal Drive in the middle of the day. The frequency of crashes has left locals exasperated, with dozens of people voicing their frustration on the Advertiser Facebook page last week. “Have you noticed how fast people are driving around town? It’s getting hectic,” Rose Sing said on Friday. “This is beyond ridiculous now! Every freakin’ day. Please, drive with attention and respect for each other. Accidents happen but so many are preventable,” Catherine Bramley said. “Seriously what is going on in this town?” Debbie Emilia Gilosca said. Great Southern police traffic officer-in-charge Sergeant Derek Grimes said he had “no time” for people who would get behind the wheel while over the legal alcohol limit. “I’m very frustrated with some members of the community driving in excess of the legal limit,” Sgt Grimes said. “Many crashes have resulted with people having alcohol in their systems and have subsequently been charged. “Police are also seeing an increase in alcohol detection in drivers in the mid-morning period, the day after they’ve been drinking.” Sgt Grimes said inattention was also a key contributor to crashes. He said police would be out in force over the upcoming holiday period, with a focus on drink-driving. “Police are increasing breath-testing in the Great Southern, so expect to be stopped more often and expect to be tested more often,” he said.