A 16-year-old girl on a school holiday trip has been killed alongside a family friend in a devastating quad bike accident on a Tasmanian highway.
A Fatal Collision on the Murchison Highway
Adasyn Wood Savin, from Newcastle in New South Wales, was visiting Rosebery in Tasmania's west. Just before 4.30pm on Saturday, she was riding as a passenger on the back of a red Honda all-terrain vehicle (ATV) driven by a 38-year-old family friend.
The pair were travelling along the Murchison Highway when their quad bike collided with a white Mitsubishi Triton utility truck. Despite the efforts of interstate tourists who stopped to help, both the teenager and the driver died at the scene.
The 40-year-old driver of the ute was not injured. He was taken to a police station for mandatory drug and alcohol testing, which is standard procedure following a fatal crash.
A Family's Double Tragedy and a Plea for Help
The situation is a double tragedy for Adasyn's parents, who had previously lost her younger brother, Cooper. A family friend has launched a public appeal for funds to help Adasyn's mother travel to Rosebery and bring her daughter's body back home to Newcastle.
The fundraiser states that Adasyn was "having fun, spending time with friends, and making memories the way any 16-year-old should" when the accident occurred. It emphasises that no family should worry about finances while grieving, and that donations will help them focus on saying goodbye.
The day after the crash, Adasyn's father posted a heartfelt tribute on social media, writing: "To my beautiful daughter you were everything to me my world will never be the same... I'll see you again my angel rest in peace."
Community Grief and ATV Safety Concerns
Loved ones and the community have remembered Adasyn as a "sweet" and "beautiful" girl. The fundraiser also expressed that she has now been "reunited with her brother Cooper Savin, together again, watching over their family from the stars."
These were the first deaths on Tasmanian roads this year. However, the incident has reignited concerns about ATV safety. Since 2020, all-terrain vehicles have been involved in more than 20 fatalities in the island state.
A coroner's report from 2016 found that seven quad bike deaths occurring between 2012 and 2015 were preventable, highlighting ongoing risks associated with these vehicles.
