A 67-year-old Waikiki woman is dead and another 69-year-old woman is in a critical condition after a five-car pile-up at one of Rockingham’s worst black spots.
The horror smash on Tuesday afternoon has prompted calls for the City of Rockingham to upgrade the intersection, which had already claimed two lives in a traffic accident in 2007.
Major crash officer Senior Constable Mat Daynes said the female driver died at the scene of the accident just before 3pm, when her Ford Festiva was it from behind and pushed into another car.
Her passenger, a 69-year-old Safety Bay woman, was taken to Royal Perth Hospital with critical injuries.
Snr Constable Daynes said the Festiva was waiting to turn right onto Rae Road when it was struck by a Toyota Prado continuing through the intersection in the same direction.
The crash set off a chain of events that resulted in damage to five cars.
The 54 year-old driver of the Prado was taken to Rockingham Hospital with minor injuries.
According to Main Roads figures, the intersection is one of the worst crash sites in the City of Rockingham.
A total of 87 crashes had occurred there in the five years to December 2008, causing $4,201,516 in damage.
In January, firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to free a woman from her car following a serious crash at the intersection.
Rockingham Mayor Barry Sammels said the City was working on changes to the intersection after Main Roads approved Black Spot funding.
“Once design approval is granted it is anticipated modifications will be completed in the second half of this year,” he said.
However, he said the improvements could not have changed the tragic circumstances of this week’s accident as they related to a separate part of the intersection.
Police have not yet laid any charges are still investigating over the circumstances of Tuesday’s crash.