The four people who walked away from this accident have someone looking out for them.
Their moment of truth came at 5:50 PM on Monday evening, when both drivers approached the intersection of Wyman and Oxide streets.
The sound of the collision was heard blocks away, with one resident saying she “thought it was a shotgun discharge”.
Despite the damage, all walked away, eventually – the 31-year-old female driver of the little white Kia was taken to hospital as a precaution but suffered no serious injuries.
Tom Aylett, Inspector in Charge of Broken Hill Police, said it was a miracle nobody was seriously hurt.
“Whenever you hear of a car that’s been flipped on its roof, it certainly has the potential to be a significant incident,” he said.
“You see similar accidents can have a much more devastating outcome. But here, it’s very surprising that everyone, the drivers and the passengers, walked away with no serious injuries.”
Officer Aylett said the accident occurred when the 17-year-old driver of the utility failed to see and give way to the Kia.
“It was a fairly, I guess, average crash,” he said. “There is no suggestion of alcohol, drugs, or speed being a factor – just a combination of someone hitting a car at a particular angle through a give way sign can cause such a dramatic scene.”
Officer Aylett said that police are expecting more incidents on the roads now that lockdown is lifting, and for that reason police will be more visible around town.
“Now that we’re allowed regional travel within New South Wales if you are fully vaccinated, there are going to be a lot more cars on the road, and a lot more potential for collisions,” he said.
“People need to remember to drive to their conditions and their ability. Remembering that when you leave town, the outskirts of town, if you head towards somewhere like Menindee or Wilcannia, you are going to come across animals on the road which presents a significant hazard.
“And that’s obviously going to be a focus of police going forward … a distinct focus from yesterday onwards around traffic management. People will be stopped and random breath tested. There will be certainly an increase of that occurring.”
As for the four who walked away from the corner of Wyman and Oxide, Officer Aylett thinks even the 17-year-old who was issued with an infringement notice should count Monday as his lucky day.
“I’m very surprised that no one suffered anything more serious, injury-wise,” he said.
