A pair of 19-year-old men are being treated at Westmead Hospital in Sydney after being involved in a single-vehicle accident south of Dubbo on Saturday afternoon.
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The men were passengers in a vehicle that left Old Dubbo Road and collided with a tree and a metal pole shortly after 5pm.
Emergency crews and the Volunteer Rescue Squad were called to the scene, with a helicopter landing at the scene to take one of the men directly to Westmead.
The second man was airlifted later on Saturday evening after being treated by doctors at Dubbo Hospital, while the driver, also aged 19, escaped without major injuries but was taken to hospital for observation and mandatory blood and urine testing.
Orana Local Area Command duty officer Inspector Andrew McKittrick said the prognosis for the injured men was better on Sunday than it had been on Saturday.
“We’re still waiting for a more substantial update on their conditions but thankfully it seems they’re not as serious as we had first feared,” he said.
“The front seat passenger was airlifted from the scene of the accident, while the rear seat passenger was transported to Dubbo Hospital and then later on was airlifted as well.
“One of the men will be going in for surgery to patch up some lacerations, while we’re still waiting to hear more about the other man as he has been under sedation.”
Inspector McKittrick confirmed the vehicle involved in the accident was unregistered, and said investigations into the cause of the incident are continuing.
“We’re still looking into it, but it is correct that the vehicle wasn’t registered,” he said.
“The vehicle was travelling away from Dubbo in the direction of Lazy River Estate, and while it wasn’t raining at the time the accident occurred, the conditions were certainly wet.
“It appears as though the vehicle has left the road and hit a tree, then it has spun and hit the metal pole before doing a 180 degree turn and coming to a standstill.
“We’ll be looking into the condition of the vehicle itself as part of the investigation, but really at this stage it is too early to tell what the cause may have been.”