South Australia reels from five serious car crashes in 24 hours

Car crash chaos has hit South Australia, with police and paramedics rushing to five serious crashes within 24 hours that have put multiple people, including children, in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The chaos started on the Riddoch Highway near the small border town of Joanna about 350km south east of Adelaide when a car and truck reportedly collided head-on about 9.30am on Thursday.

Two of the three occupants of the car, a 28-year-old Naracoorte woman and a 4-year-old boy, sustained life-threatening injuries and were rushed to hospital.

A third occupant of the car, an 8-year-old girl, escaped serious injury.

The driver of the truck, a 59-year-old Limestone Coast man, sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital.

On Thursday afternoon about 2.45pm, a car and a ute collided in Mount Jagged, about 60km south of Adelaide.

The crash put seven people in hospital.

Paramedics flew the driver of a Subaru sedan, a 26-year-old Tooperang woman, to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Her passengers, a 26-year-old Tooperang woman and a 7-year-old boy, both sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The family in the Mitsubishi ute, a 46-year-old male driver and his passengers, a 43-year-old woman, 12-year-old boy and 10-year-old boy, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Major Crash investigators attended the scene and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash, the police said on Thursday.

On Thursday evening at Strathalbyn, about 55 km south east of Adelaide, a car reportedly collided with a parked truck about 5.45pm.

The driver of the Peugeot, an 85-year-old Strathalbyn woman, suffered serious injuries in the crash and paramedics took her to hospital.

The carnage then continued into Friday.

Emergency services were called to Flaxmill Road in Adelaide’s southern suburbs about 4am after the driver of a BMW smashed into a tree on the east bound side of the road.

The 19-year-old male driver sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and paramedics took him to hospital for further treatment.

And then at 11.46am, emergency services rushed to a ute rollover at Truro, about 95km north east of Adelaide.

Police officers and rescue personnel are still on scene.

SA Police Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott, speaking on Friday afternoon, said the ute had left the road, rolled and caught fire.

“There are some significant injuries involved in that crash,” he said.

“It has only just occurred, so I have limited information that is available.”

He said the crashes should serve as a “stark reminder” of how quickly life could change on the roads.

“(The crashes) are not related specifically and there will be diff factors that are at play,” he said.

“But one thing that is consistent, is paying attention to the road, sticking to the speed limit and driving in a safe way are all part of the prelim investigation for a number of these crashes.”

Wet weather is expected in South Australia across Friday and into the weekend and the police are urging motorists to drive to the road conditions.