A teenage girl who was tragically killed after a car she was travelling in veered off the road, crashing into trees was still mourning the loss of her partner in similar circumstances just six months earlier, it’s been revealed.
Heidi Ridley was killed on Friday morning, shortly after midnight, in Queensland’s Darling Downs region with police alleging that a 19-year-old man was behind the wheel of a stolen silver Holden Commodore when it crashed near Toowoomba.
Local patrols had sighted the vehicle shortly prior to the crash, police said, but had not attempted to engage with the driver.
Heartbroken tributes poured in over the weekend for the 18-year-old victim who died at the scene, while the driver was transported to hospital. Queensland Police confirmed to Yahoo News Australia on Monday morning that no charges had been laid yet.
In a tragic twist, it’s been revealed Ms Ridley was still “completely lost” after losing her partner Jemmah Cole-Crighton in an almost identical crash just six months ago. In that case, Ms Cole-Crighton, 24, reportedly suffered catastrophic injuries when she crashed an allegedly stolen car on a highway outside Toowoomba on January 13.
Speaking to local newspaper The Chronicle, founder of local youth support service Emerge, Jen Shaw, said that while Ms Ridley made “some seriously bad choices … there is another side to Heidi that was gold” and showed immense potential.
“She had so many demons but she was so determined to help other kids because she couldn’t give herself the same love,” she said.
Ms Shaw revealed the young victim was still struggling with grief after the sudden loss of her partner.
“She was crippled by grief all her life and grief kept re-emerging — she lost the love of her life under the same circumstances,” she lamented.
According to Queensland Police data, the Darling Downs region saw a large spike in charges for the unlawful use of a motor vehicle last year, after years of an upward trend. This year is on track to nearly match the record number of offences.
In the wake of Ms Ridley’s death, Detective Inspector Damien Smith described the crash scene as “quite horrific” with the vehicle suffering extensive damage.
“We are asking young people who are taking part in this risk taking behaviour to take a second to reconsider their actions because they can often unfortunately have tragic consequences,” he said.
“It’s not worth the enjoyment they might get out of this (alleged) thrill-seeking behaviour.”
Ms Riding was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt when the car slammed into a tree at about 160km/h, Nine News reported.
with NCA Newswire
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
