Updated ,first published
A 51-year-old Victorian woman killed in a fatal crash south of Brisbane on Saturday night has been remembered as a “light of many” by her family and communities hundreds of kilometers away.
Roza Abebwa, a mother of eight, was visiting her family near Logan when the car she was traveling in with her 28-year-old niece and her grandson collided head-on with mud and was thrown off the road.
Abebwa died at the scene.
In an online tribute, his son Rashidi Edward said Abebwa was “the kind of person who made you feel safe, seen, and cared for”.
“She was selfless in every sense of the word, always putting her children and others before herself without hesitation. Mom wasn’t just our mom…she was everyone’s mom,” Edward said.
“We are very hurt to say that life will never be the same without him.
“He was our foundation, our strength, and our home.”
Abebwa’s niece and grandson were also injured in the crash, with the two-year-old in a stable condition at the Queensland Children’s Hospital on Monday.
Police were still investigating the crash on Monday, and had not ruled out linking it to a “very serious incident” that officers knew was happening nearby on Saturday night.
A preliminary investigation showed another car – a Ford Falcon driven by a 17-year-old girl – had its lights off and was driving on the wrong side of School Road in Logan Reserve, south of Brisbane, in an attempt to cross a three-car lane.
School Road, about half an hour’s drive south of Brisbane’s CBD, has uneven patches of grass on both sides of the road and no paved shoulder.
With one lane in each direction, overtaking is common, and many cars were seen crossing the center line on Monday afternoon to pass a garbage truck.
Nearby, a teddy bear and a bouquet of flowers had been left at the crash site, which remained littered with debris.
On Monday, Logan Mayor Jon Raven called for stronger police presence and tougher laws on honking across the state.
“The community is completely losing its mind,” he told Brisbane radio station 4BC.
“They want more police, they want tougher laws, (and) they want more action because we can’t allow this kind of behavior to happen on our streets anymore.
“This was an entirely avoidable tragedy because this guy – the grub – decided he was going to pass three cars at once on a narrow, dimly lit road.”
Raven said the police need more resources from the state government to break up rowdy and rabble-rousing gangs, and the licenses of people convicted of hooking offenses should be revoked.
“People are doing stupid things on their way to these events,” he said.
“There are no results at the moment, so even if they get caught, all the police can do is lock it up… but that car is worthless to the hoon that uses it.”
On Sunday, Acting Inspector Peter Venz said police were investigating whether speeding, driver behavior or car following contributed to the crash.
He criticized young drivers who were involved in honking and dangerous driving around the city.
“Half the reason they do this is to try to get a picture so they can get likes on their social media,” he said. “I find that very sad.
“The community is upset about it. They’re scared. They don’t want to have to drive home at night and see this kind of behavior.”
After the accident, a social media post said to be from the organizers of the honing event said it had been cancelled. A second post sent “thoughts and prayers” to the Victorian woman’s loved ones.
The four teenagers in the vehicle were all taken to Logan Hospital, with Venz saying the 17-year-old driver had tested positive for drugs or alcohol.
One of the four was also released on Sunday. Police had not yet filed charges on Monday.
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