The first person at the scene of a crash in which a man deliberately drove into an oncoming vehicle, killing the woman driver, on a West Australian highway said he had been following the car for 10 minutes because he was worried an innocent person was going to get hurt.
61-year-old mother Jenni Pratt, of Geographe, died when a 45-year-old man deliberately drove his Landcruiser into her Rav4 on the Bussell Highway at Capel on Saturday afternoon with the horror crash caught on video.
The Landcruiser driver, the sole occupant of the car, and the passenger of the Rav4, a 54-year-old woman from Busselton, are in hospital with serious injuries following the crash.
Larz Erikssen was camping with friends at Wonnerup beach and was driving to Busselton for supplies when they noticed the man hurriedly take off in his Landcruiser with a camping tarp hanging off the back of the car.
He nearly rolled the car, took out signs, forced other cars off the road and had near misses while driving into oncoming traffic at high speed and Mr Erikssen's friend Dylan Mateljan rang police and started filming the Landcruiser.
"We followed just in case he did hit someone, I wanted to because of all those innocent bystanders and wanted to make sure that if he did hit someone they were out of the car and safe," he told 6PR radio.
"It was very confusing, I have no idea what was going through his mind to actually try and hit someone, it is not natural.
"I was thinking please, please don't hit someone, I hope to God no innocent people will die."
Unfortunately Ms Pratt and her RAV4 were unable to get out of the way of the Landcruiser, which caught fire on impact.
Mr Erikssen said he ran past the Landcruiser and noticed the man not moving before being confronted by a horrific scene, in which he saw Ms Pratt motionless and the passenger trapped in the car, pinned against the dashboard.
"I am still shaking because of that, it is not a sight someone should see," he said.
"It is horrific what happened to her, my thoughts and prayers go out to her family, I am very sorry for what has happened to her.
Witnesses said the man had left all of his camping gear, fishing rods, phone and wallet at the site after taking off.
Police are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the crash or the Landcruiser travelling before 4.45pm on Saturday on Wonnerup Beach, Busselton; Layman Road, Busselton and Bussell Highway from Busselton to the Capel Drive intersection.
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