Beloved taxi driver killed in quadruple fatal head-on highway crash is identified – as cops reveal sinister theory about what happened

An innocent taxi driver who was killed when an oncoming car traveling the wrong way on the highway struck his vehicle has been identified.

Father-of-three Sendeku Tesema, 58, was driving two passengers home from Perth Airport on Monday morning when police say the driver of a Toyota RAV4 deliberately crossed the center line on the Leach Highway.

The two women in the back seat, aged 81 and 56, were a mother and daughter returning from holiday.

All three were killed in the fierce head-on collision.

The driver of the Toyota RAV4 also died in the collision.

Mr Tesema’s wife was no longer desperate and needed an ambulance after hearing the devastating news.

Their 18-year-old daughter said her father was “loved by everyone.”

“He was the funniest, most caring man. Our condolences go out to all other affected families,” Eyerusalem Sendeku Achamyeleh said. Seven news.

The tragedy has rocked the local taxi industry.

‘He’s a nice person. He is not mean,” said colleague Setegn Abate.

“Everyone when they say, ‘I have nothing,’ he helped everyone.”

The pair met as they normally did at the airport taxi stand at 2am on Monday and spoke on the phone during their shifts, as was their routine.

Mr. Abate knew something was wrong when the contact suddenly stopped.

“So when I tried to call him after 45 minutes, he didn’t answer. The phone was off.

“I called him nine times.”

Fellow driver Toli Wakli added: ‘It’s shocking for the taxi industry and for all of us.’

“It’s a great loss.”

The Toyota RAV4 was driving on the wrong side of the highway Leach Highway in Cloverdale close by Perth Airport when he collided head-on with the taxi around 3:40 am.

Police later revealed the Toyota was a RAV4 driver has ‘consciously chosen’ to drive on the wrong side of the highway, which is separated by a central wall.

Detective Sergeant Hugh Le Tessier told reporters that the man had driven erratically through nearby suburbs before entering the highway by turning onto an off-ramp in the wrong direction.

Why the driver did this remains a mystery.

“That’s probably something we’ll never know.” I mean, I can only… report the facts as we know them,” Detective Le Tessier said.

‘We know what happened and our investigation is now focusing on why, but I cannot answer that at this stage.’

Despite the ‘very intense’ fire that engulfed the Toyota RAV4, police managed to retrieve dashcam footage from the wreck detailing the vehicle’s last movements.

“The RAV4 was completely on fire, so the recovery of the dashcam is certainly something we are very happy about,” Detective Le Tessier said.

“The files on that SD card show that he was driving through the streets of Belmont and Cloverdale prior to the incident, and that he was traveling well over the posted speed limit.”

Detective Le Tessier said the accident was “very confronting” and “almost the most horrific incident you can witness as… the police officer in a road traffic accident scenario.”

“It’s such a tragic event for that family – not just that family that lost a mother and daughter… there are four families that have been affected by this,” he said.

Following the crash, shocking images were shared on social media showing a car bursting into flames and destroying the other vehicle.

A 1.6-mile stretch of the Leach Highway was closed for five hours Monday as crash investigators examined the crash scene and collected debris.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant footage to contact Crime Stoppers.