NSW Ambulance advises road users to be aware of wildlife on country roads, especially due to Kangaroos

Since August 1, 2017, paramedics have attended 38 collisions involving kangaroos, three for wombats and two for possums. (See outlines below.)

On Friday night October 27, a 57-year old male motorcyclist died after colliding with a feral pig on a country road at Coolah.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Rhys Dive said dry weather and soaring temperatures was forcing wildlife to road sides, looking for plant growth. Over the past two years paramedics have attended 224 incidents involving wildlife. Its estimated that one in seven crashes on country roads involves animals.

Inspector Dive said avoiding animals on roads and bush tracks involves a degree of luck, however there are ways to minimise the risk.

Animals often move quickly and are unpredictable so its hard to know what to do next when confronted, Insp Dive said.

He said incidents included vehicles losing control and either rolling or colliding with trees and other obstacles, and sudden braking that results in collisions with other vehicles, including rear-enders.

Inspector Dive advised people to stay alert and slow down, especially at sunrise and sunset when visibility is decreased and animals tend to be more active. Quite a few of the incidents which have occurred in the past few months have involved motorists travelling in excess of 100km/h and the sudden impact has caused the vehicles to roll or veer into trees and down embankments, he said.

He said road users should also prepare if they see any sudden movement from the edges of the road and be patient if a vehicle ahead suddenly slows down or stops. He added kangaroos travel in mobs so a kangaroo sighting, including deceased kangaroos on the road, is a sign there are others nearby.

Among this months casualties was 50-year-old Col Wooderson, of Bowral, who collided with a kangaroo while riding his bicycle on the Old Hume Hwy at Berrima at 5.15am last Monday (23/10).

It all happened so quickly. It was still dark and quite foggy and I was riding down a hill with a mate. The kangaroo came from the bush and straight at me on to the road. The last thing I remember was him looking at me and me looking at him, he said.

We always see them around but theres probably a bit more at the moment because its so dry and theyre coming on to the nature strip for feed.

Mr Wooderson was catapulted over the handlebars and landed on his head, the force splitting his helmet. He was rushed to Liverpool Hospital suffering two broken bones in his neck, a spinal fracture and significant cut to the forehead.

Ive had a few close calls with kangaroos over the years. Its just fortunate I was wearing a helmet as it probably saved me from even worse injury, he said.

The NSW Centre for Road Safety further advises people to reduce speed when they see animal warning signs; only brake when it is safe to do so; and never swerve it is safer to hit an animal than swerve and lose control of your vehicle.

Inspector Dive reminded that, with the amount of grass feed around, farmers are taking the opportunity to put their stock on to stock routes. So aside from wildlife, weve also got cattle and sheep on the roads as well, he said.

If you find injured wildlife, call WIRES on 1300 094 737 or NSW National Parks on 131 555.

SYDNEY

22/8 Church Point 27yo m Car swerved to miss possum

NORTH

2/8 Wallabadah 19yo f Car v Kangaroo

4/8 Kootingal 66yo f Car travelling 100km/h, hit kangaroo

8/8 Tooloom 24yo m Rolled car swerving to miss kangaroo

9/8 Muswellbrook 38yo m Car doing 100km/h v kangaroo

30/8 Wirrimbi 60yo m Motorcycle v kangaroo

2/9 West Tamworth 20yo f Car v kangaroo

4/9 Merriwa 75yo f Car v kangaroo

10/9 Seaham 3 x pts Car swerved to avoid kangaroo

13/9 Bingarra 2 x pts Car swerved to miss kangaroo, rolled

14/9 Belltrees 30yo f Car swerved to miss kangaroo; collided with bridge

15/9 Morisset 52yo f Attacked by kangaroo

21/9 Coramba 75yo m Car swerved to miss kangaroo; rollover

3/10 Tuncurry 19yo f Car v kangaroo

25/10 Abermain 21yo m Motorcycle v kangaroo

SOUTH

2/8 Yass 3 x pts Car v wombat, into guard rail

2/8 Burra Patient Car swerved too miss roo, crashed into tree

4/8 Michelago 66yo f Car v kangaroo

29/8 Binalong Male pt Car swerved too miss kangaroo

31/8 Nanima 34yo m Car swerved too miss kangaroo, crashed into tree

7/9 Balranald 42 yo m Motorcycle swerved to miss kangaroo

11/9 Yass 78yo m Car travelling 110km/h, swerved to miss kangaroo

24/9 Beckom 2 x pts Car swerved to miss kangaroo

26/8 Sutton Forrest 60yo f Swerved to avoid wombat

27/8 Bullio 33yo m Motorcyclist v kangaroo. Airlift to hospital.

28/9 Deniliquin 19yo f Ute v kangaroo, vehicle rollover

30/9 Euroley 30yo m Car swerved to avoid kangaroo, collide with tree

1/10 Mundarlo 54yo m Car v kangaroo

2/10 Narrandera 48yo f Car v kangaroo; vehicle on fire

9/10 Nowra 23yo m Car v kangaroo

11/10 Robertson 21yo m Car swerved to avoid possum, hit power pole

22/10 Razorback 16yo m Buggy swerved to avoid wombat

23/10 Berrima 50yo m Bicycle v kangaroo

25/10 Bombala 57yo m Car v kangaroo

25/10 Googong 17yo f Car v kangaroo; through fence, rolled

WEST

15/8 Bourke 33yo m Ambulance plane hit kangaroo on tarmac

19/8 Condobolin 33yo m High speed rollover, 5 occupants, swerved to miss roo

25/8 Lightning Ridge 25yo m Motorcycle v kangaroo. Roo jumped out

1/9 Coolah 25yo f Car 100km/h swerved to miss roo, rolled several times

19/9 Fowlers Gap 28yo m Car swerved to miss kangaroo

20/9 Hartley Vale 28yo m Motorcycle v kangaroo

20/9 Oberon 62yo f Car v dead kangaroo

3/10 Coonabarabran Male pt Truck rollover, swerved to avoid kangaroo

27/10 Coolah 57yo m Died after colliding with a feral pig

TOTAL: 44