{"id":240491,"date":"2025-06-23T17:58:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T07:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=240491"},"modified":"2025-06-23T17:58:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T07:58:36","slug":"mp-pays-tribute-to-rail-crash-victims-25-years-after-horrific-level-crossing-accident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=240491","title":{"rendered":"MP pays tribute to rail crash victims, 25 years after \u2018horrific\u2019 level crossing accident"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Central Wheatbelt MLA Lachlan Hunter has paid tribute to the upcoming 25th anniversary of an \u201chorrific\u201d rail accident that claimed the lives of three young people living in his electorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christian Jensen, Jess Broad and Hilary Smith were killed at the Yarramony Level Crossing on July 8, 2000, when the four-wheel-drive they were travelling in was hit by a grain train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was right on dark, and the trio were just a matter of kilometres from their final destination the Jennacubbine Tavern, where they were meeting friends for a 21st birthday celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three were killed instantly, with WA State Coroner Alastair Hope\u2019s investigations finding the trio did not see the train at all because it was poorly lit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a member\u2019s statement in State Parliament on Thursday, June 19, Mr Hunter spoke passionately about the triple fatality that \u201cso sadly claimed the lives of three young people\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJess, Hilary and Christian were on their way to a friend\u2019s 21st birthday party when their car was struck by a fully loaded grain train, at an unlit, passive level crossing protected only by a give way sign,\u201d Mr Hunter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a dark winter\u2019s night, there were no lights, no boom gates\u2026 they did not see the train coming\u2026 they had no chance.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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RailFail spokeswoman and Murchison Pastrolist Lara Jensen holding a photo of her brother, Christian Jensen, who was killed in a level crossing accident along with his two mates. Credit: Olivia Ford\/Countryman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cSince that devastating night, more than 100 lives have been lost, with hundreds of collisions and thousands of near misses at levels right across Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Hunter paid tribute to Mr Jensen\u2019s sister Lara, labelling her a \u201ctireless and courageous advocate for change\u201d after dedicating her life to campaigning for improved train lighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c(This is) so that other drivers in the same circumstances might face a better chance than her brother face,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA coronial inquest into the Yarramony tragedy made a clear and urgent recommendation \u2013 that locomotives must be fitted with external axillary lighting to improve visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwenty five years on, there are still no mandatory national standards in place. This is not just a policy failure on both sides of politics. It is a failure to act in the face of preventable tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Hunter paid tribute to the parents and families of Jess, Hilary and Christian,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo Jess\u2019 parents Merrilea and David Broad, Hilary\u2019s parents George and Sally Smith, and Christian\u2019s parents, Laurie and Catherine Jensen\u2026 our hearts remain with you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur hearts remain with you, no words can ever heal the loss of a child, but we will carry their memories with us and with that our shared res to ensure such a loss is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After investigating the accident, Coroner Hope recommended strobe lighting on trains to make them more visible, but two and a half decades on the families are still waiting for change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mr Hunter paid tribute to the parents and families of Jess, Hilary and Christian,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":240492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[676,273,2424,47],"tags":[8339,4553,17161,17162],"class_list":["post-240491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accident","category-australia","category-level-crossing","category-rail-news","tag-perth","tag-western-australia","tag-yarramony","tag-yarramony-level-crossing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t