Fury as family dies after high-speed police chase
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday March 22, 2010
LESS than three months after the outrage over a toddler's death led to tougher penalties for police pursuits, three more people, including a four-month-old boy, have lost their lives in a police chase.A young family were killed at the weekend when their car was hit by a stolen vehicle running a red light, seconds after NSW police ended a high-speed chase.Their car hit a tree and split in two, killing Scott Oppelaar, 33, Samantha Ford, 29, and their son, Brodie, instantly.Members of their family have expressed anger at the police over the crash.The driver of the stolen vehicle, Justin Williams, 23, also died, and last night his 18-year-old female passenger, Skye Webb, was in a critical condition in hospital.Police were conducting standard traffic duties in Queanbeyan on Saturday night when they allege the stolen Mazda 626 sped past them.About 10pm, when Mr Williams did not stop when requested, police gave chase, crossing the ACT border along Canberra Avenue.It is believed Mr Williams was a disqualified driver with a criminal record.The stolen car allegedly sped through a red light just before the intersection with the Monaro Highway exit ramp at Narrabundah, when police ended the chase. Seconds later the car went through a second red light, hitting the family's Mazda3.Mr Williams was conscious after the impact and was arrested, before being taken to Canberra Hospital where he later died.His passenger, Ms Webb, was unconscious and was taken to hospital.Mr Oppelaar's cousin, Jason Kelly, said: "I purely blame police for it. He's getting chased and that's what young people do. They get scared and they take off," he told reporters.Mr Oppelaar's sister, Nicki, was also angry. "My brother is dead now because the police chased this car to the point where he didn't want to stop."The incident will be investigated by NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police and a report will be prepared for the ACT Coroner.The NSW Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione, said yesterday that everything had been "done by the book"."I have a degree of comfort that our officers acted appropriately and I am certain that they were simply doing their job," he said."Our thoughts go out to not only those involved in the accident but their families, loved ones, and please spare a thought for those officers involved."No officer would ever want to go through this - these men were simply doing their job."New laws were introduced last month creating tougher penalties for those who lead police on pursuits, including jail sentences of up to three years, with a maximum term of five years for repeat offenders.The legislation followed outrage over the death of Skye Sassine, 19 months, who was killed in a high-speed police chase on New Year's Eve last year when her family's Subaru was hit from behind by the getaway car of two alleged armed robbers.The Herald has previously reported that the number of police pursuits has decreased in the past five years, but figures show that officers still engaged in an average of almost five pursuits a day last year.- Just hours after the Canberra crash, four people were injured when a car being chased by police collided with another vehicle driven by a 78-year-old man on a roundabout on the Gold Coast. The driver, who is in hospital, was wanted over armed robberies.
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald