Birnam double fatality car crash: witness hears screams of 17-year-old trapped inside burning car
A father and son have relived the harrowing moment of hearing screams as they ran to a fiery car crash that killed two 17-year-old boys.
Emergency services rushed to Beaudesert Beenleigh Road in Birnam, south of Brisbane, at about 6.15pm on Sunday after reports that two cars were on fire following a head-on collision.
The crash happened when the 4WD car driven by Ben Grahame, 17, collided with a sedan driven by 17-year-old Jimmy Bowie.
Ben Grahame, 17, died after his 4WD car caught fire following a head-on collision with a silver sedan in Birnam, south of Brisbane
Jimmy Bowie, 17, was in the silver sedan and was also killed in the crash. The two teenage boys were the only occupants in their cars
Both 17-year-old boys died at the scene and were the only occupants of the cars they were riding in.
Michael Shayne and his son Jack were driving on Beaudesert Rd when they saw flames in the middle of the road.
The pair saw a woman run towards the fiery crash and bang on the roof of the ute.
“The real hero is that woman who banged on the roof there to let him know she was there,” Mr Shayne said. The courier mail.
Mr Shayne said he and his son tried to get into the flame-engulfed car after hearing screams and realizing someone was still alive.
‘We fired. As soon as we got close, we heard some screaming. I ran as fast as I could.’
“My son was right next to me, reached out as hard as we could and tore the bottom of the passenger side.”
“He looked at us and knew we were fighting him. He knew people were fighting for him.’
The pair also tried to help 17-year-old Jimmy Bowie but were unable to help him due to his position in his car.
Other bystanders urged Mr Shayne and his son to back off just before the 4WD exploded in a ‘massive ball of fire’, making it impossible to approach the vehicles.
Another witness, still traumatized by the ordeal, described the chain of events that contributed to the fiery crash.
Driving behind the 4WD, she claims the ute was trying to overtake another car on a hill when it collided with the silver sedan.
The witness added that the 4WD flipped onto its side and pushed the sedan off the road.
“It was a shocking event that I would rather try to forget,” she said. “It was dark and just a huge fireball.”
Family friends of Mr Grahame have paid tribute to the late teenager describing him as charismatic, funny and the life of the party’.
Friends left flowers at the scene of the horrific crash (pictured)
In the photo, friends gather at the scene of the crash to mourn the deaths of the two teenage boys
The girlfriend of Mr. Grahame’s mother, Candy Looman, has set up a GoFundMe account to help the family with funeral expenses.
“Where do I begin Ben was a much loved and valued member of the family, charismatic, funny, the life of the party and a big softy on the inside,” she wrote.
“Ben is the baby of the family and Colleen’s (Ben’s mother) only son whose adult life hadn’t even really started yet, Ben was only 17.”
Mrs. Looman explained that funds will help Ben’s mother Colleen, who is self-employed, to pay for her son’s funeral.
“As you can imagine, no one was prepared for this and certainly not his mother who is self-employed and runs a local family business in Ormeau,” Ms. Looman wrote.
“Colleen likes big and always goes above and beyond for everyone else’s families. Please help us raise money for Ben’s mother as she tries to come to terms with the tragic loss of her son and give Ben the goodbye he truly deserves,” she wrote.
The fund has received more than 245 donations totaling $13,290 and aims to raise $15,000.
Police are calling on anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage of the accident to come forward.
A crime scene was identified and the Forensic Crash Unit led the investigation.