Bundaberg car accident: brutal twist as young couple Joel Wright and Chelsea Maddox are killed in horror strikes just five months apart
- Husband and wife die in car accidents five months apart
- The couple was described as ‘Bonnie and Clyde’
A man who died in a single-vehicle accident lost his partner in a horrific car accident a few months earlier.
Nicholas ‘Joel’ Wright, 23, died at the junction of Burnett Head and Gibsons Roads, in Bundaberg, at about 2am on Saturday.
This deadly crash came just a day before the five-month anniversary of his girlfriend Chelsea Maddox, 19, on March 6.
The Maddox crash site on Albert Street, in Maryborough, was only an hour and a half from where Wright died.
They were both the only passengers to die in their respective crashes, with others leaving with minimal to serious injuries.
The couple was described as “Bonnie and Clyde” by Maddox’s older sister Jaymee, who also revealed that Wright was a pallbearer at Maddox’s funeral.
Nicholas ‘Joel’ Wright (pictured), who was killed in a single-vehicle accident in Bundaberg at about 2 a.m. Saturday, lost his partner in a horrific car accident several months earlier
Jaymee said her sister’s death “hung heavily” on the grief-stricken Wright.
“Joel lost his Bonnie to his Clyde at the beginning of the year and it gives me peace knowing they are together forever,” she said.
“Never in a million years did I think Joel would be in Heaven’s house right now to reunite with her.”
She pleaded for younger drivers to be careful on the road as she mourns the death of not only her “little sister” but also her sister’s partner.
She described Wright as a kind and loving soul with a big heart, who would go above and beyond for his friends and family.
“I’ve never met someone who is so caring and sincere and just wants to make sure everything and everyone around them is okay,” said Jaymee.
“His laughter was so contagious…he constantly reminded me of the importance of family and true friendship.”
Chelsea Maddox, 19, (pictured) died on March 6 after a 27-year-old learner driver crashed his car on Albert Street in Maryborough, just an hour and a half from the Wright crash site
The pair are pictured together in happier times
Guy Sean Leigh Gallagher, a 27-year-old L-Plate driver from Burua, Queensland, has been charged in connection with Maddox’s death.
His charges included driving a vehicle dangerously resulting in death, leaving the scene without seeking help, driving an uninsured and unregistered vehicle, failing to check that passengers were wearing seat belts, and not wearing seat belts themselves.
He was also charged with traffic offenses related to being a learning driver, including failure to display L plates and driving unsupervised as a learner driver.
Mr Gallagher’s case has been postponed to September 26.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Wright’s death are still ongoing.
The police and the Forensic Crash Unit have issued an appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time and had relevant information or CCTV footage to contact the police.