Police investigate fatal crash at Wardell
Superintendent Scott Tanner speaks about the investigation into a crash at Wardell that killed four people in February.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Shortly after 5.45am on Saturday 24th February 2024, emergency services were called to Backchannel Road at Wardell following a motor vehicle accident.
00:10 Officers attached to the Richmond Police District attended and located a blue Mazda VT50 utility that had left the roadway and crashed.
00:18 All occupants of that vehicle, being three males and a female, were all died at the scene.
00:24 Detectives have commenced enquiries under Strike Force Land, which is a joint investigation between State Crime Homicide Unit and the Richmond Police District detectives.
00:34 We are now treating that investigation as a homicide investigation.
00:38 We believe that just prior to the accident there was a second vehicle involved in that accident, which was an early 2000 model silver Toyota Corolla sedan.
00:49 We believe that that vehicle was chasing the Mazda VT50 just prior to the accident.
00:54 Anyone able to identify the occupants of that early 2000 model Toyota Corolla sedan are asked to please contact investigators attached to Strike Force Land through the Lismore Police Station or through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
01:16 I want to really state that there are now four families out there that have lost loved ones as a result of this homicide.
01:22 We are appealing for assistance from anyone that has information in regard to who is responsible.
01:27 We believe there are people in the community that know who was involved in this and we are urging them to come forward.
01:32 Is the person that you believe to have been driving the other vehicle known to any of the occupants of the car?
01:41 At this stage we are just making inquiries in regards to who was involved in the other vehicle.
01:46 So we are just trying to make an appeal to the public who can identify those people in that vehicle.
01:51 Were they heading towards Wardell as well and that's when they got bit off the road and hit a tree?
01:57 So the vehicle was coming out of Wardell heading towards the Cabot Tree Island area.
02:01 The investigators are following all leads at the moment and we are waiting to find out information from the community of who is involved.
02:11 How are the family feeling now that this has changed to a homicide investigation?
02:16 Absolutely. The family obviously were quite upset and very distressed at the initial accident.
02:22 However now their trauma has now been exacerbated due to the nature of what we now believe is a homicide investigation.
02:29 Our investigators are speaking to the family continuously and again there are four families out there that are suffering.
02:36 We are appealing for anyone that might have been in that Wardell area at that time, if they have got any dash footage or any information,
02:43 to please come directly to our investigators at Stryfellas Land or through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
02:50 Can you tell us a bit about that area? Obviously it was on a bend where the car had crashed.
02:55 Yes, it was on a bend. It was a rural road. It's a normal country road, one lane each way.
03:01 And the vehicle has come off the roadway at a bend.
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