“We were about two seconds behind them,” Mrs Rice said.

“We saw this big cloud of dust and we thought it was a tractor ploughing a field or something.”

The couple was driving home to Rutherford, in NSW’s Lower Hunter Valley, with their four children.

Paula and her husband quickly realised the situation was much more serious when they saw two other cars parked by an upside down Toyota Tarago.

“I was sick to my stomach when I realised the extent of it,” Mrs Rice said.

“My husband got out and two other men were there, climbing on top of the car to get in and cut the people out of their belts.

“We were worried it would catch fire, with petrol spilling everywhere, so they just did what they had to do.

“When we arrived one of the passengers had already gotten out of the car, and was just pacing around in circles. He was in shock and had a massive head wound with blood all over his forehead.

“Adam was using our first aid kit to bandage the victims and dress their wounds, helping where he could” she said.

Mrs Rice had the most praise for the emergency services who arrived so quickly on the scene.

“Those that were there did an awesome job, I can’t praise them enough. They were efficient, did everything to a plan straight away and they did a bloody good job.”

Police are continuing their investigations into the accident, but it is believed that the Tarago failed to handle a right-hand bend, and veered onto the southern side of the road, 500 metres from the intersection of the Golden and Castlereagh Highways.

The car had two female and three male passengers who managed to escape while the driver, a 56-year-old Cherrybrook woman, died at the scene.

One woman was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, while the other is in Dubbo Base Hospital, and both are in a stable condition.