POLICE expect to lay further charges over a two-car collision that left a teenager with serious head injuries in the early hours of Saturday.
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The 18-year-old, from Goulburn, was in a serious but improving condition in Canberra Hospital yesterday after being airlifted from the crash scene.
Police Rescue had to free her from the Hyundai Accent hatchback she had been driving west along Crookwell Rd at 3am.
Her 19-year-old male front seat passenger sustained minor injuries.
Officers have charged a 30-year-old Goulburn man with negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm. He decamped from the scene, police alleged.
The man handed himself into police five hours later, Inspector Rob Post said.
He and his three passengers were driving south on Marys Mount Rd in a 2001 Holden Calais sedan when it impacted with the hatchback.
The 18-year-old girl in the Hyundai was trapped before being flown to Canberra Hospital by Snowy Hydro SouthCare helicopter with serious head injuries and multiple fractures, police said.
A 20-year-old woman who was travelling in the rear seat of the sedan also sustained multiple fractures, while the 28- year-old male front passenger and 17-year-old male rear passenger were also injured.
They were taken to Goulburn Base Hospital after being treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics. On Saturday some of them underwent x-rays and scans.
The 30-year-old was also later taken to hospital for mandatory blood tests.
Four ambulances and NSW Fire and Rescue also attended the scene, the latter as a precaution.
All of the people involved were from Goulburn.
Inspector Post said on Saturday there was a “high possibility” of further charges pending.
Inspector Post would not speculate on possible charges, saying police were awaiting witness statements, blood test results on the drivers of both vehicles and scientific tests on the cars.
Crime scene investigators also attended the site.
Witnesses included the cars’ occupants and a taxi driver travelling behind one of the vehicles.
Inspector Post encouraged anyone else who saw the accident to come forward to police.
The 30-year-old man will appear before Goulburn Local Court on January 23.
The collision came amid Operation Safe Arrival, targeting speeding, drink driving, seatbelt and other traffic offences.
As of yesterday, eight people had died on the state’s roads and police had charged more than 400 people with drink driving and nearly 6600 with speeding.
Inspector Post said while the Christmas period was relatively quiet behaviour wise around Goulburn, there had been too many motor vehicle collisions in the city and surrounds.
“It’s been higher than normal in the month leading up to and post Christmas,” he said.
On Saturday, police were also called to a singlevehicle crash on the Federal Highway at Collector.
A car left the southbound lane and rolled. The occupant suffered minor injuries.
Another vehicle crashed at Bungonia on Saturday night but both occupants freed themselves.
Police are also clocking high speeds on the area’s highways, including a 42-year-old allegedly travelling at 159km/h on the Hume on Boxing Day.
Meantime, the Goulburn LAC has rostered extra resources for New Year’s Eve, including general duties, proactive deployment units and Highway Patrol.
Inspector Post said officers would be doing regular walk throughs of the city’s licensed premises.
“I encourage people to drink responsibly, not drive or become a burden on police and the community,” he said.
