An 11-year-old girl has died after the car she was travelling in with her mother ran off the road and plunged into a dam near Tenterfield in New South Wales, police and local sources said.
The crash occurred at about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday near the intersection of the Bruxner Highway and Bryans Gap Road, according to reporting from the scene. Emergency services said the vehicle hit a tree before entering the dam. Emergency crews pulled the girl, later identified as Gracie, from the water; she was unconscious and died at the scene. Her mother, identified as Dr. Raelene Gill, 50, was rescued and taken to Tenterfield Hospital in a stable condition.
Dr. Gill is a chiropractor based in Tamworth, about 298 kilometres south of the crash site. Community members and local organisations quickly expressed condolences and support for the family. Takeshi Karate, the local martial arts school where Gracie trained, described her as "caring, unique, kind and bubbly" in a social media post and shared a photograph of her in a karate gi.
Video posted on the Facebook page of Chiropractic Life Tamworth shows Dr. Gill and Gracie together in lighthearted clips, including a May video in which they dance together to lift their moods. Friends and community members said the pair were well known locally.
A friend, Rebecca McGoldrick, started an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and other immediate needs, saying Dr. Gill currently does not have access to her bank accounts because her phone and computer were damaged in the crash. McGoldrick said the fundraiser is intended to provide direct support to Dr. Gill as soon as she is able to regain access to her finances.
Local residents reported heavy rain in the area at the time of the crash. New South Wales police said investigations into the cause of the accident are continuing. A report will be prepared for the coroner, and authorities did not immediately provide further details about potential contributing factors.
Paramedics and emergency services responded to the scene, where they attempted lifesaving measures on the child after she was recovered from the water. Tenterfield Hospital treated Dr. Gill; her condition was reported as stable.
The Tamworth community has begun rallying to support Dr. Gill and to remember Gracie. Organisers of the memorial fundraising page urged people to respect the family’s privacy while they grieve. Police said they will release further information as it becomes available and that the coroner’s office will handle the formal inquest process.
The incident has prompted local officials and residents to reiterate road safety and caution during adverse weather, while emergency services continue their enquiries into the circumstances that led to the vehicle leaving the roadway and entering the dam.