Toowoomba, Queensland: Girl killed in car crash lost her partner in accident six months earlier

A teenager killed in a horrific car accident lost the ‘love of her life’ in a grisly similar accident six months earlier, while Queensland is hit by a wave of juvenile crime.

Heidi Riding, 18, died when the silver Holden Commodore she was a passenger in crashed in the Toowoomba suburb of Newtown on Friday morning.

It is alleged that a 19-year-old male driver was driving on the wrong side of Hursley Road before colliding with trees and a concrete bench.

It has since been revealed that Mrs Riding had lost her partner Jemmah Lorrain Cole-Crighton, 24, in similar circumstances when an allegedly stolen car in which she was traveling crashed into a tree.

The fiery crash occurred on the Warrego Highway near Helidon in the Lockyer Valley region, just 20 km from Toowoomba, on January 13.

Jen Shaw, the CEO of youth services Emerge, said Ms Riding was devastated by the death of her partner.

The founder of the Toowoomba organization said she did not approve of Ms Riding’s actions, but said the young woman had wanted to change her life.

“I’m devastated — I know she made some really bad choices, but there’s another side to Heidi that was gold,” she shared News Corp.

Mrs Shaw said Mrs Riding was a quiet girl who was funny, loyal and respectful.

“She had so many demons, but she was so determined to help other children because she couldn’t give herself the same love,” the youth worker added.

Ms Shaw said the young woman was on her way to getting back on track when Ms Cole-Crighton died in the horror attack.

“She was crippled with grief all her life and grief kept popping up – she lost the love of her life under the same circumstances,” Ms Shaw said.

Ms Cole-Crighton suffered burns to 95 per cent of her body after the 2009 Toyota Camry she was in crashed into a tree in January and caught fire.

She was airlifted to Royal Brisbane and the Women’s Hospital but died a short time later.

A 27-year-old male passenger was also rushed to hospital with a serious head injury and extensive burns.

A Queensland Police spokesman at the time claimed the car was stolen from the Hooper Center car park in Toowoomba earlier this week.

Mrs. Cole-Crighton’s mother, Kelly Cole, told the story News Corp at that time her daughter fought to the end.

She said that despite her injuries, she crawled out of the car and dragged herself up a hill where onlookers were able to assist her.

Ms Cole added that her ‘heart sank’ when she was told her daughter would not live.

“It’s the most heartbreaking news you can hear as a mother,” she said.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of Mrs Riding’s horror accident this week, a witness recounted Courier Mail they had heard the driver scream.

‘Where are you?’ he was heard screaming as he frantically searched the crime scene.

Upon discovering the body, the man collapsed moments later, according to the witness.

‘She is dead! She is dead!’ the driver would have yelled.

Debris from the crash was scattered 50 yards near the intersection on Tor Street.

Pieces of metal were found embedded in fences and a burning engine had been thrown at least 20 yards from the car.

The driver was taken to Toowoomba Hospital with minor injuries and an investigation has been launched into the single car crash, Queensland Police said.

No charges have been filed in relation to the crash, but police say teams from the Forensic Crash Unit and Ethical Standards Command are investigating the incident.

These teams are tasked with finding out what caused the crash and who was responsible, respectively.

The Holden Commodore had been spotted by local patrols earlier in the evening but had not been engaged, police confirmed in a statement.

It comes as state authorities continue to grapple with an out-of-control juvenile crime epidemic.

Queenslanders have repeatedly called on Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk to take drastic action to tackle rising crime rates.

An apprentice electrician who was King Hit was angry to learn that his alleged attacker had been released on bail and desperately begged Ms. Palaszczuk to do more.

Rial Malual, 21, is recovering in hospital with a collapsed lung five days after he was reportedly robbed and stabbed in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley in late June.

Only one boy, 17, has been charged in the alleged assault and is already back on the streets, despite prosecutors strongly recommending he be refused bail when he went on trial early this month.

Four other young males are fugitives.

“What is the Prime Minister doing about this?” Mr. Malual told Nine News this month from his hospital bed.

“If consequences aren’t put in place soon, this is going to explode.”

“Knife crime will take center stage, people will no longer go out or feel safe.”