EMERGENCY services personnel worked for several hours to extricate five people trapped in two vehicles following a head-on collision 21 kilometres west of Dubbo yesterday.
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Police said a Holden Barina travelling from Dubbo to Narromine and an eastbound Mitsubishi Lancer collided on a bend on the Mitchell Highway.
The accident was reported to the triple-0 emergency line at 11.51am.
Acting Inspector Steve Munn said speed was believed to be a contributing factor.
“Police will allege the Barina overtook several vehicles and was on the wrong side of the road at the time of the impact,’’ Acting Inspector Munn told the Daily Liberal at the accident scene.
“Police have interviewed several witnesses. Three people in the Lancer and two people in the Barina sustained a range of injuries.’’
The Barina was turned upside down as a result of the accident and came to rest on its roof in a small pool of water in a roadside culvert.
Acting Inspector Munn said the white Barina was driven by a female and contained a male passenger.
The white Lancer, also driven by a woman, contained a male front passenger and a female rear passenger.
The doors of both vehicles were cut away by Dubbo Rescue Squad. It took several hours to free the drivers and passengers. The last person was released at 1.24pm
NSW Ambulance reported four patients were taken to Dubbo Base Hospital in serious condition with pelvic, leg, back and abdominal injuries.
A spokesman for Western NSW Local Health District said the accident victims included two men, aged 20 and 62, and two women, aged 24 and 31.
A 58-year-old woman, a passenger in the Lancer, was airlifted from the accident scene by rescue helicopter. She was taken to Orange Base Hospital.
The accident was attended by Dubbo and Narromine police, NSW Ambulance, NSW Fire and Rescue, Dubbo Rescue Squad and the Rural Fire Service. Specialist forensic police from Dubbo were called to photograph the scene.
The highway was closed to traffic for about four hours.