The two men killed in a horror five-car crash on a busy highway have both been identified as loving fathers both from Sydney as more harrowing details are revealed.
David Drozd, 42 and Jason McMahon, also 42, lost their lives in the horror multi-car pile-up on the Great Western Highway west of the Blue Mountains on Friday.
Mr Drozd has been remembered as a well-respected traffic engineer who seven years ago, wrote a report for Blue Mountains Council about hazards on the same road he lost his life on.
He was on his way to Dubbo with his wife, 41, and four children aged between five and 15 when tragedy struck.
His wife and children were among the 15 injured and hospitalised.
Mr Drozd previously worked for Penrith Council before starting his own traffic consulting company in 2012.
It was revealed earlier on Saturday that Mr McMahon, 42, was also a loving dad who was about to marry the love of his life.
David Drozd (pictured) was on his way to Dubbo with his wife and four children when tragedy struck
Jason McMahon (above) has been identified as the first victim of the five-car pile-up near Lithgow on Friday
A GoFundMe crowdfunding page for his McMahon fiancé and children was created late Friday night.
‘Unfortunately the McMahon family have lost a big role model in their life,’ it reads.
‘His family have lost a son, a dad, a fiancé and more.
‘The whole purpose of this GoFundMe is to help his fiancé and the rest of his family, to raise money to follow through with any funeral costs.’
Mr McMahon had reportedly been dirt biking at nearby Sunny Corner with family friend Declan Jones, who was also injured in the crash. They were heading home to western Sydney.
Police said Friday’s holiday pile-up on the Great Western Highway at Wallerawang, about 15km north of Lithgow, appeared to have unfolded when a car crossed onto the wrong side of the road.
Investigators on Saturday morning said Mr McMahon’s eastbound Isuzu D-Max, towing a motorcycle trailer, collided with a westbound Toyota Hilux.
That Toyota then struck a Hyundai Tuscan – hurling it from the highway and trapping the occupants.
In the chaos, the Isuzu then struck a Kia Carnival head-on. A Nissan Patrol, towing a caravan, then collided with the Isuzu’s trailer.
Mr McMahon and the 49-year-old male Kia driver, who is yet to be named, were both trapped and died at the scene.
The Kia’s six passengers – including five children and a woman, 41 – were all injured.
The horror crash saw at least 15 people injured and killed two drivers, Mr McMahon and the 49-year-old male Kia driver (pictured, emergency services at the scene)
A nine-year-old girl is in a critical but stable condition in hospital, while the other four are stable, and the adult has been released from hospital.
Many of those caught up in the fatal crash were heading off or returning from holidays for the Christmas/New Year’s period.
Images from the scene showed more than a dozen ambulance vehicles, with paramedics and SES officers helping the injured.
Several vehicles were crumpled wrecks with debris strewn across the 110km/h stretch of highway, including suitcases, pillows and dirtbikes.
The Great Western Highway has since reopened.
NSW Police Superintendent Paul Glinn said: ‘It would appear that a vehicle has crossed to the incorrect side of the road.’
Mr McMahon had reportedly been dirt biking at nearby Sunny Corner with family friend Declan Jones (above)
Fire crews arrived at ‘a confronting scene of carnage’.
‘Crews with the assistance of ambulance and volunteer rescue association had to make critical decisions triaging patients,’ Fire and Rescue NSW Duty Commander Phil Vaiciurgis said.
‘We had to do two complicated rescues from severe entrapment injuries and provide fire protection and assist police and ambulance rendering the scene safe.’
Friday’s tragedy takes the NSW road death toll to 352 in 2023 – 82 more than last year.
The tragedy has rocked the region west of the Blue Mountains.
Fire and Rescue NSW Duty Commander Phil Vaiciurgis described the crash as ‘a confronting scene of carnage’ (pictured, paramedics with one of the injured)
‘It is shocking news and everyone is sending their condolences to those families and loved ones that have been involved in that serious accident,’ Bathurst MP Paul Toole, told ABC News.
‘It has a far-rippling effect in our local communities.
‘I know the police have not identified those that have been involved in the incident, but we know it is going to cause a lot of heartache and loss.’
Investigators urge anyone with information or dash cam footage to contact police.