The section of Mitchell Freeway in Butler where two people died in a crash after a ute travelled the wrong way on Sunday night is near where a beloved Perth grandfather died in a similar crash in October.
An Izuzu ute was travelling southbound in the northbound lanes near Lukin Drive in Butler about 11.25pm on Sunday when it crashed into a Toyota Yaris hatchback and MG MG4 hatchback.
The 56-year-old female driver of the Yaris died at the scene, while the 24-year-old man driving the Izuzu was taken to Joondalup Health Campus, where he later died.
The two occupants of the MG received non-life-threatening injuries. Major crash officers are investigating the incident.
The crash is the second deadly incident to take place on the far northern reaches of the Mitchell Freeway in five months.
In October, Johnny Gray’s distinctive pink 1956 Chevrolet collided with another car on the Mitchell Freeway near the Butler Boulevard exit, which is less than two kilometres from the Lukin Drive exit.
Gray was driving the wrong way down the freeway at the time.
After that crash, nearby residents raised concerns about the “confusing” road layout at Romeo Road, which is the final exit and first entry to the Mitchell Freeway in the north.
James King was one of the first on scene at the crash that claimed Gray’s and told 9News Perth at the time that the Romeo Road intersection could be confusing.
“I go down Romeo Road a fair bit … I think having the entry and the exit so far apart, I’m not sure if that plays a part in it,” he said.
“Obviously, that late at night, there wouldn’t be many cars around. You’d just be an autopilot, I’m guessing, and I could see how it happened.”
After Gray’s death, Police Minister Reece Whitby said Main Roads would investigate the cause of the crash alongside a police investigation.
“How he happened to be there, why it happened, is a subject of a police investigation, and Main Roads are obviously aware of the issue and will be doing their own investigation,” Whitby said at the time.
“[Main Roads] always want to have best practice and the safest roads possible, so if there’s any lessons that are to be learned, they’ll follow those up.”
Main Roads has been approached for comment following Sunday’s crash.
Police are appealing for any witnesses to Sunday’s crash to contact Crime Stoppers online or by calling 1800 333 000.
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Hamish Hastie is WAtoday’s state political reporter and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Prize for best political journalism.Connect via X or email.