THE entire community is still in shock after the tragic death of four local, young people in the early hours of Saturday morning in a fiery car crash.
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Tributes have been pouring in, posted on Facebook and left at the Hurley Street site of the accident for Daniel Blackney, 17 of Cootamundra, Adam Schell, 27 of Cootamundra, Tasha Summerfield, 24 of Temora and Dale Pincombe, 27 who recently moved to Cootamundra from South Australia.
While the four occupants of the car have been named publicly, Police say it could take up to a week before they are officially identified as alternate means of identification have to be used, including DNA testing. Forensic investigators were on scene on Saturday to aid with this.
The accident happened just after 1am when the Holden Commodore they were in lost control while negotiating the bend in the road between Boundary Road and Hurley Street, slamming into a tree adjacent to the golf course.
The car, which had been travelling on Boundary Road towards Hurley Street, caught alight quickly.
The Fire Brigade were the first on scene after the accident was called into emergency services, and quickly put out the fire. When they arrived they were faced with an intense heat, flames and a horrific scene, according to Cootamundra Local Area Commander Peter Wanczura.
By 2am Police had cordoned off the crash site and investigations into just what happened had begun.
The tragedy has struck the town hard, with everyone shocked by the devastating loss of four young lives.
Mr Wanczura described the crash as one of the worst incidents he had been to in his 34 year police career.
“It is quite horrific,” Superintendent Wanczura said during a press conference on Saturday.
“It is very distressing for the families, in a small community like ours an incident such as this will affect everyone,” he said.
Superintendent Wanczura confirmed the carload of young people had been spoken to by Police prior to the accident, however at that time officers were not concerned.
Police remained on site at the crash scene until about 6pm on Saturday, when the vehicle was removed by a tilt-tray service from Young.
Volunteers from the State Emergency Service were also at the scene between about 4am and 6pm, helping to man the road closures and erecting tarps to protect the privacy of the scene.
Once the vehicle was removed the road was re-opened and by yesterday morning a number of tributes had been laid under the tree which claimed the four young lives.
The tragic accident was not far from the minds of any local during the weekend, with special mention of the loss made at the Cootamundra Annual Cycle Classic presentation night and the Cootamundra Business Awards. Local sporting groups also wore black armbands in memory of those who lost their lives.
We will have more on this heartbreaking loss to our community over the coming editions. For now all of our staff at the Cootamundra Herald would like to offer our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the family and loved ones of Adam, Daniel, Tasha and Dale.
