Crash claims two lives

The State’s riskiest road was the scene of more horror after a head-on collision near Capel left four Perth children orphaned and two others injured.

Perth couple Sabine Mather, 31, and James Mather, 36, were killed when their grey Skoda Yeti, travelling north on Bussell Highway, crashed head-on with a southbound Toyota LandCruiser which was towing a caravan near Hutton Road.

Several road users who came across the crash site described it as “horrific”.

“The car was an absolute mess ... I wish I didn’t see it,” one driver said.

The couple, understood to have been returning to Perth after a weekend away, died at the scene a day after their seventh wedding anniversary.

They leave behind four children: Sofia, Ella, Isaac and Jethro.

The deaths of Mr and Mrs Mather have prompted a police investigation to establish the cause of the crash.

Vasse MLA Libby Mettam said the crash served as a reminder for drivers to be extra vigilant around roadworks and the carriageway, which had high volumes of traffic over weekends and holiday periods.

The 17km section of Bussell Highway where the crash took place was previously voted WA’s riskiest road in an RAC survey and is undergoing work for stage one of its duplication.

“The roadworks for the dualling of the carriageway between Capel and Hutton Road will continue for months, and most certainly over the summer holiday period,” Ms Mettam said.

“I do appeal to all road users to slow down and to take note of the speed reduction signs,” she said.

The couple in the LandCruiser, a 77-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man, were taken on Sunday to Royal Perth Hospital and Bunbury Regional Hospital respectively, with the man transferred to RPH on Monday afternoon.

He remained in a stable condition yesterday. South West District Supt Geoff Stewart said it was important that people reached out for help if they were affected by what they had seen.

“We can’t afford this to happen, but with the sheer volume of traffic we get in the South West leading into summer, the risk for something like this is there, so we need everyone to be vigilant to how they drive and how other people are driving around them,” he said.