Lithgow crash: Sydney dads David Drozd and Jason McMahon identified as the two men killed in horror pile-up west of the Blue Mountains
Two men who died in a horrific five-car crash on a busy highway that left 15 others in hospital have been identified as loving Sydney dads.
David Drozd, 49, and Jason McMahon, 42, were killed in the multi-car collision on the Great Western Highway west of the Blue Mountains on Friday.
Mr Drozd is remembered as a respected traffic engineer who wrote a report for the Blue Mountains Council seven years ago about the dangers on the same road where he was killed.
The father of nine was a devout Christian and was due to become a grandfather for the first time in the new year.
Mr Drozd was on his way to a wedding in Dubbo with his wife Nicole, 41, and five of their children, aged 5 to 15, when Mr McMahon’s Isuzu D-Max collided with their Kia Carnival.
Mr Drozd’s wife and children were among the 15 injured people hospitalized. Two of his daughters remain in serious and critical conditions.
He previously worked for Penrith Council before setting up his own traffic consultancy firm in 2012.
David Drozd (pictured) was traveling to Dubbo with his wife and four children when disaster struck
Jason McMahon (pictured) was on his way home to Sydney when his life was cut short in the horror crash
Earlier on Saturday, it was revealed that McMahon, 42, was also a doting father who was about to marry the love of his life
His son Connor, 19, paid a heartbreaking tribute on Saturday evening.
‘I have lost the man I always wanted to become. “He was the kind of person who would drop everything to help someone,” he said in a statement.
‘I’m going to miss my father every minute.
“He wasn’t allowed to see me starting a family of my own.”
Mr. McMahon had spent the morning riding dirt bikes in nearby Sunny Corner.
He was returning to Sydney with family friend Declan Jones when his eastbound car carrying a motorcycle trailer collided with a westbound Toyota Hilux.
That Toyota then hit a Hyundai Tuscan, causing it to be thrown off the highway and the occupants trapped.
Mr McMahon’s Isuzu then struck the Kia Carnival driven by Mr Drozd head-on, trapping the father-of-nine who died at the scene.
A Nissan Patrol towing a caravan then collided with the Isuzu’s trailer.
The horror crash injured at least 15 people and killed two drivers, Mr McMahon and the 49-year-old male Kia driver (photo, emergency services on scene)
How the deadly crash unfolded
1. Jason McMahon and a family friend were driving east on the Great Western Highway at Wallerawang near Lithgow when his Isuzu D-Max collided with a westbound Toyota Hilux with four occupants.
2. The impact resulted in the Toyota Hilux hitting a Hyundai Tuscan, throwing it off the highway and trapping the three occupants, including a man aged 55, who was later flown to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle
3. Mr McMahon’s Isuzu D-Max then collided head-on with a Kia Carnival driven by David Drozd, whose wife and five children were injured and taken to hospital. Both Mr McMahon and Mr Drozd were trapped by the impact and died at the scene.
4. A Nissan Patrol, towing a caravan traveling behind Mr McMahon, then collided with the Isuzu trailer. Four occupants of the Nissan Patrol were examined at the scene
How the horror crash on the Great Western Highway claimed two lives and injured 15
a GoFundMe The crowdfunding page for Mr McMahon’s fiancée and children was set up late on Friday evening.
“Sadly, the McMahon family has lost a great role model in their lives,” it read.
“His family has lost a son, a father, a fiancée and more.
“The whole purpose of this GoFundMe is to help his fiancée and the rest of his family, to raise money to pay for any funeral expenses.”
Mr McMahon’s passenger suffered serious leg injuries but is also said to be in a stable condition.
A nine-year-old girl is in a critical but stable condition in hospital, while the other four are stable while a woman has been discharged from hospital.
Many of the fatal accident victims were traveling or returning from holidays for the Christmas and New Year period.
Images from the scene showed more than a dozen ambulance vehicles, with paramedics and SES officers assisting the injured.
Several vehicles were crumpled wrecks with debris scattered across the 70 mph stretch of highway, including suitcases, pillows and dirt bikes.
The Great Western Highway has now reopened.
NSW Police Inspector Paul Glinn said: “It appears a vehicle crossed the wrong side of the road.”
Mr McMahon had reportedly been cross-country skiing at nearby Sunny Corner with family friend Declan Jones, 19 (above)
Fire and Rescue NSW service commander Phil Vaiciurgis described the crash as ‘a confronting scene of carnage’ (pictured, paramedics with one of the injured)
Firefighters arrived at ‘a confronting scene of carnage’.
“Crews with the assistance of ambulances and volunteer associations had to make crucial decisions when assessing patients,” NSW Fire and Rescue Chief Phil Vaiciurgis said.
‘We had to carry out two complex rescues of serious crush injuries, provide fire protection and assist police and ambulance to make the accident scene safe.’
Friday’s tragedy takes the road death toll in NSW to 352 in 2023 – 82 more than last year.
The tragedy has rocked the region west of the Blue Mountains.
“It is shocking news and everyone sends their condolences to the families and loved ones involved in this serious accident,” Bathurst MP Paul Toole said. ABC news.
‘It has a far-reaching effect in our local communities.
“I know the police have not identified those involved in the incident, but we know it will cause a lot of grief and loss.”
Detectives are calling on anyone who has information or dashcam footage to contact the police.