HER BABY IS STILL WAITING FOR HER TO COME HOME… HORRIFIC DETAILS EMERGED AS TASMANIAN NURSE D!ES DAYS AFTER HORRIFIC HEAD-ON CRASH
A Perth man on holiday in Tasmania stabbed his partner before fleeing the scene and causing a fiery head-on crash that claimed both his life and that of a local nurse who was driving home from work on Friday.
Elaine Gee, 39, was struck head-on by a Skoda hire car driven by the 42-year-old West Australian on West Tamar Highway in Tasmania’s north west about 4.40pm.
Ms Gee — a beloved wife and mother of two young boys aged six and 10 — died in hospital from her injuries on Sunday.
Tasmania Police Inspector Stuart Greenwood said the Skoda driver died at the scene.
“Upon arrival, police and emergency services found that car ablaze and were unable to assist that man,” he said.
Insp. Greenwood said that just before the crash the man had stabbed his female partner of about six months “multiple times” at a property in Exeter before driving away.
The stabbing victim, aged in her 40s, was in a serious but stable condition at Launceston General Hospital on Monday.
Insp. Greenwood said the pair were from Landsdale in Perth’s north and were on a “family trip” visiting relatives in Tasmania before the domestic violence attack occurred. It is understood they arrived in Tasmania last Tuesday.
A blue Skoda being driven by the 42-year-old West Australian man erupted in flames after the collision. NO
The Skoda in the aftermath of the crash. NO
He said the pair were staying at the Exeter property, which belonged to a relative of the stabbing victim.
“It was quickly ascertained, given the (Skoda) at the scene, that vehicle was the one that was hired at the time (of their arrival).”
Insp. Greenwood said the woman had two children, who were present at the home but did not see the stabbing. He said the man was “not particularly known” to WA Police.
“The woman involved in the stabbing incident, she managed to make a phone call to triple-0. She was then immediately assisted by a family member who returned to the scene, who completed the call and notified police,” he said.
Insp. Greenwood said police received multiple reports about the Skoda being driven erratically on the highway before the fatal collision.
“Tasmanian police received a series of calls in very quick succession that detailed the driving behaviour of a blue Skoda, that driving behaviour was described as erratic, and we believe it was involved in a series of very minor collisions along the West Tamar Highway.”
Insp. Greenwood said the crash occurred in a 100km/h zone.
“As part of the investigation, crash investigation services and forensics will do a scene recreation, and they may be able to produce speeds of both vehicles. That’ll obviously form part of our findings that we provide to the coroner.”
Shocking videos of a fireball coming from the damaged blue Skoda were shared online after the collision. Damage to a divider on the highway where the collision occurred was also visible, according to images published by the ABC.
A beloved mother of two has died after a thug allegedly veered into her car while fleeing along a Tasmanian highway after stabbing his girlfriend.
Ms Gee’s heartbroken husband, Rodney, posted on Facebook on Sunday afternoon announcing his wife’s death two days after she was admitted to Royal Hobart Hospital with critical injuries.
“Today I have to write something I never imagined I would,” he said.
“This afternoon I had so say forever goodbye to my best friend and beautiful wife, Elaine. This afternoon the boys had to say goodbye to their amazing mum.
“There are no clever words for it. This entire situation is just completely unacceptable, unfair and crap, and this is without question the worst day of our families’ lives.
“So please, it is now going to take all of us — family, friends, teachers, the local community and everyone who knew and loved Elaine — to help me make the good boys we have raised together to become the great men she knew they could be.
“Tell them the stories. Remind them who their mum was. Pull them into line when they need it, and stand beside them when life gets hard.
“I can be their dad, but no one can ever replace their mum.
Elaine Gee, 39, died on Sunday after being critically injured in the collision on the West Tamar Highway at Legana. NO
“We will always love you babe.”
A GoFundMe organised for Ms Gee’s family had raised more than $160,000 by Monday evening.
The fundraiser organiser, Lisa Gibson, said the beloved nurse was “completely innocent, simply in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
“Our lives changed forever when Elaine was tragically killed in a senseless act of violence. A man who had allegedly stabbed his girlfriend then deliberately drove straight into Elaine while she was driving home from work at Launceston hospital, where she worked as a nurse for the past 20 years.
“She was completely innocent, simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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“What was supposed to be Elaine’s 40th birthday will now be her funeral, to say Elaine’s family and friends are devastated beyond words is an understatement.”
The fundraiser said Elaine had left a positive impact on the health system in her nursing career, leaving behind “a legacy of genuine care and relentless advocacy, and our community is forever better for her commitment to people in need”.
Elaine Gee, 39, was driving home from a nursing shift on West Tamar Highway in Tasmania’s north when the Nissan Navara she was driving was struck head-on by another car about 4.40pm local time Friday. NO
“We have created this fundraiser to help ease the financial burden Elaine’s family is now facing.
“The funds raised will go towards funeral, as well as supporting Elaine’s family as they navigate this heartbreaking time, as Rodney will now be the sole income for their family, bills and mortgage still need to be paid while Rodney takes some time away from work to grieve with the boys.
“Thank you for your kindness, support, and for helping us honour the life of our beautiful Elaine. We will carry her love with us forever.”
WA Premier Roger Cook said the details of the incidents were “very distressing”.
“This is a horrific incident, and the details that I’ve heard are very distressing, and so our hearts go out to the families and the friends involved, and the emergency responders that had to have witnessed that scene.”
Mr Cook said his government wanted to “get on top” of domestic violence.
“It would have been very distressing, and that’s one of the reasons why we created the portfolio on prevention of family and domestic violence, and have invested an extra over $500 million since 2017 on family and domestic violence services.
“This is something that we want to get on top of, and we continue to work not only as a government ourselves, but with other governments, how we can better coordinate our policies and the work that we do.”
Insp. Greenwood said the WA man was “not well recorded by WA Police and was not particularly known to them”.
“This is an isolated incident that, unfortunately, has spilt out into the broader community and resulted in a tragic death on a highway,” he said.
“We have conducted checks with both West Australian Police and our own records, and we have no recorded violence between this couple.”
“Family violence tears away the very fabric of society, and the impacts are well documented.”
