Shark Bay crash kills grandfather taking family on holiday

A horror crash near Shark Bay in Western Australia has claimed the lives of two drivers, including a 60-year-old grandfather, and left his partner and grandson with life-threatening injuries. The collision occurred on Monday on the North West Coastal Highway when the family's vehicle, pulling a caravan, collided head-on with a Toyota LandCruiser utility.

The 45-year-old driver of the LandCruiser also died at the scene. The 12-year-old grandson and his grandmother, in her 50s, were critically injured and airlifted to Perth hospitals, where they are now reported to be in a stable condition. The incident happened during the peak of the tourist season, causing the highway to be closed south of the Overlander for over 24 hours, blocking numerous travelers and truckers heading north.

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He was in a lot of trouble and I thought, 'He doesn't want to be here by himself.' So I hung with him to just try and console him that there was help coming on the way.

Sandy Winkle, who was among the first on the scene, described the traumatic experience of providing first aid and comforting one of the drivers in his final moments. "He was in a lot of trouble and I thought, 'He doesn't want to be here by himself,'" she recalled. "So I hung with him to just try and console him that there was help coming on the way."

Winkle, returning from a family holiday, emphasized the suddenness of such tragedies. "It was pretty traumatic, to be honest with you, but the message is, like, these sort of things happen in an instant," she said, adding that the event would stay with her for some time. As of Tuesday afternoon, the North West Coastal Highway was gradually reopening.

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It was pretty traumatic, to be honest with you, but the message is, like, these sort of things happen in an instant.