Police are looking for a driver after a fatal traffic accident that killed a woman and her pregnant daughter’s unborn child.
According to a press release from the New South Wales Police Department, the incident occurred in Newcastle, a city on Australia’s eastern coast, at around 2:40 a.m. local time on Sunday, June 22.
According to authorities, a police officer initially observed a Holden Commodore with an unauthorized license plate driving “in a dangerous manner.”
After losing sight of the vehicle, another officer began pursuing it. According to the release, the driver of the Commodore then took off on the “incorrect” side of the road, colliding head-on with a Hyundai sedan.
Authorities said a 55-year-old woman in the Hyundai, who has yet to be formally identified, died on the scene. Her 28-year-old pregnant daughter, who was driving the vehicle, was treated for leg injuries and transported to a local hospital for further treatment, according to the statement.
“Police have since been informed that the woman was 25 weeks pregnant and has subsequently lost her unborn child,” according to the report.
While the Commodore’s rear passengers—two girls, ages 15 and 17—are currently being treated for “serious injuries” at a local hospital, the driver and driver’s side passenger fled the scene before authorities arrived, according to the release.
Police believe the driver was a male “in his late teens” with a “Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance,” and the driver’s side passenger was a 17-year-old girl.
Authorities are “actively making inquiries” to locate both people and are urging anyone with “relevant footage or information to come forward,” according to the release.
