Father and Daughter Identified as Victims of Fatal Milperra Crash

What happened

Incident Overview

On Sunday, 26 May 2024, a fatal collision occurred between a DiDi rideshare vehicle and a ute on Milperra Road in Milperra, Sydney’s west, at approximately 7:40pm. Thai Duong, 41, and his 11-year-old daughter Haili died at the scene, while two other occupants were transported to hospital.

The Toyota sedan rolled during the impact, trapping all four occupants inside. Witnesses immediately assisted at the scene as emergency services responded.

Location and Time

The collision occurred on Milperra Road in Milperra, Sydney’s west, at approximately 7:40pm on Sunday evening, 26 May 2024.

Vehicles Involved

Vehicle 1

• Make/Model: Toyota sedan (DiDi rideshare vehicle)
• Direction: turning right at the time of collision
• Driver: DiDi driver (transported to hospital, serious but stable condition)
• Passengers: Thai Duong (41), Haili Duong (11), Justin Duong (9)

Vehicle 2

• Make/Model: Ute
• Direction: opposing direction to the rideshare vehicle
• Driver: details not provided in source

Injuries / Fatalities

Fatalities

• Thai Duong, 41, backseat passenger of the rideshare vehicle (deceased at scene)
• Haili Duong, 11, backseat passenger of the rideshare vehicle (deceased at scene)

Injuries

• Justin Duong, 9, backseat passenger of the rideshare vehicle (transported to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, critical condition)
• DiDi driver (transported to hospital, serious but stable condition)

Community Impact

The Duong family were members of St Brendan’s Catholic Primary School in Central Bankstown. Both Haili (Year 6) and Justin (Year 4) were students at the school. Principal Patricia Laidler notified the school community by email on Monday, expressing condolences to the family and confirming Justin’s hospitalisation in stable condition.

Emergency Response

NSW Ambulance paramedics attended the scene and extracted the trapped occupants from the rolled vehicle. Justin Duong was rushed by paramedics to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, where he was admitted in critical condition. The DiDi driver was also transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Investigation

NSW Police attended the scene and are leading the investigation. Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden confirmed that the rideshare vehicle was turning right when struck by the ute travelling in the opposing direction. Dashcam footage from the rideshare vehicle was reviewed and showed that traffic control lights were functioning at the time of the collision. McFadden stated that the rideshare driver had a single green light with no arrow, meaning the driver could turn when it was safe to do so, and that other vehicles were clearly visible in the opposing direction on the dashcam footage.

DiDi confirmed that the rideshare driver was using its platform at the time of the incident and stated it would cooperate fully with law enforcement in the investigation.

Appeal for Information

NSW Police are appealing for anyone with information about the collision on Milperra Road to come forward. Witnesses or persons with relevant details are urged to contact local police or Crime Stoppers.