Island honeymoon horror: Woman, 29, killed in freak golf buggy crash
A woman who died when a golf buggy rolled over on Queensland’s Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, was on her honeymoon, police have confirmed.
Hamilton Island says all of the buggies on the resort are fitted with seat belts and are instructed to obey road rules at all times. (Photo; ABC).
The vehicle was travelling on Whitsunday Boulevard on Monday afternoon when it made a U-turn, police say.
The passenger, a 29-year-old NSW woman, died after the buggy rolled. The male driver was uninjured.
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon near the popular One Tree Hill lookout.
Police say the male driver was attempting to do a U-turn on Whitsunday Boulevard when the buggy rolled over.
The woman from Sydney, believed to be the driver’s wife, died at the scene.
In a statement, Hamilton Island said their deepest thoughts and condolences were with the family and friends of the woman involved in the tragic incident.
“Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our guests, residents and staff and we are working closely with Queensland Police to investigate the incident.”
News Corp reported that the woman was thrown from the buggy and suffered multiple injuries.
Bystanders, including an emergency services worker, administered first aid but the woman’s life could not be saved.
QAS Acting Director Mackay District Ambulance Graeme McIntyre said the on-duty paramedic arrived at the scene within minutes of the rollover where bystanders had moved the woman off the road.
“(She) was in cardiac arrest and along with a number of first aiders on the island – an off-duty dentist, off-duty fire officer, and doctor from the island – performed resuscitation for 35 minutes without success,” McIntyre said.
“When paramedics arrived, the patient had been removed from the roadway and placed to the side of the road and … in the lateral position to clear her airway which is absolutely fantastic for first aiders to do.”
Police say the woman was not wearing a seatbelt and that early investigations suggested the vehicle’s battery had gone flat and that the buggy overturned as the driver did a U-turn to go back and charge it.
Queensland Police Inspector Anthony Cowan said there was no indication of alcohol or dangerous driving.
“It’s just … tragic that the golf buggy, maybe through inexperience driving those types of vehicles while turning has rolled on its side,” he said.
Investigations are continuing.
