Two people hit by car doing burnouts at North Arm Cove turnoff Highlight Section Myall Coast Port Stephens by News Of The Area - Modern Media - March 20, 2024 Another recent burnt out car was left to start a fire in the bush alongside the national highway. TWO bystanders were hit by a car doing burnouts at the North Arm Cove turnoff of the Pacific Highway at 11:40pm on Friday 15 March, proving the already-clear dangers residents have complained about for months. “Emergency services were called to Somerset Drive, North Arm Cove, following reports two people had been injured by a car,” said NSW Police Media. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “Port Stephens-Hunter Police District Officers arrived to find a white Ford Falcon sedan had been performing burn-outs in front of a crowd of people when the driver lost control and hit a power pole and two people standing next to it. “A 20-year-old woman and a fourteen-year-old girl were treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics for pelvic and leg injuries before being taken to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition.” While the driver left the scene the vehicle caught fire, leaving Tea Gardens Fire and Rescue to extinguish it, averting another avoidable bushfire in the region. North Arm Cove residents, who have been formally complaining about the regular burnout meets for the past several months, are far from impressed, nor surprised. “An inevitable occurrence, someone has to be injured or die before real action is taken against hooliganism, destruction of roads, and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) should be fining them for leaving tyres and rubbish everywhere,” one local resident told NOTA. “At Clean Up Australia day, we picked up at least fifteen tyres and several rims discarded in that area.” North Arm Cove Community Association Inc President Bob Reid said, “We hope that the two people injured at the burn-out event are OK and they fully recover from their injuries. “These burnouts have been a problem for six months. “We have been in contact with the Police, Kate Washington’s office and MidCoast Council since August 2023 seeking action to stop them, asking for police patrols, traffic engineering solutions and video surveillance.” “They are a major safety and intimidation issue for North Arm Cove residents driving through the activity to get home, as well as to the observers. “There is also a high risk of an accident from motorists trying to avoid all of the burnout debris left on the road, and a major risk for bushfires considering the surrounding very dry and thick vegetation.” Port Stephens-Hunter PD Detectives are currently appealing for information, urging anyone with mobile phone or dashcam footage or information about this incident to contact Port Stephens-Hunter Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages. By Thomas O’KEEFE An ugly black scorch mark at the North Arm Cove turnoff, where Tea Gardens Fire and Rescue had to put out the vehicle fire, with flowers on the pole (top left) an unheeded reminder. North Arm Cove’s highway turnoff remains graffitied with ugly skid marks.
