Father of Mitchell Freeway crash victim says son had his whole life ahead of him

The shattered father of a 24-year-old man who died after a wrong-way collision on Mitchell Freeway on Sunday night says his son was full of life and had his whole life ahead of him.

Qualified ceiling fixer Kaleb Brunsdon was driving his Izuzu ute southbound on the northbound lanes of the Mitchell Freeway when he and a Toyota Yaris hatchback heading north collided about 11.25pm.

The 56-year-old female driver of the Yaris died at the scene while Brunsdon was taken to Joondalup Health Campus where he later died. Two occupants of an MG MG4 hatchback were also injured in the incident.

Speaking to 9News Perth, Brunsdon’s father Kane said it was an absolute tragedy that he couldn’t believe when he was first told.

“He was such a wonderful young man – just finished his apprenticeship, just bought a house – and he was moving in the right direction,” he said.

“He was such a great kid, full of life, always helping people out and always wanted to do things for himself.

“There was no holding him back when he set his mind to something, like getting this house behind us, and he finally achieved it.”

Kane said he wanted his son to be remembered as a “wonderful young boy that set his mind to achieve something and he just achieved it”.

“There was no holding him back.”

The CFMEU also led a tribute to Brunsdon with one minute of silence at worksites across the state on Tuesday.

“Kaleb was one of our Union family, a young worker with his whole future ahead of him. Kaleb’s passing has devastated his family, his loved ones and friends, and all of us who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him,” the union said.

The crash is the second wrong-way collision to claim lives on the far northern stretch of Mitchell Freeway in five months and has thrust the off-ramp to Romeo Road into the spotlight once again.

Perth grandfather Johnny Gray, 60, died after his pink classic Chevrolet crashed into another vehicle as he was travelling the wrong way down the freeway at night after turning onto the off-ramp at Romeo Road in Alkimos.

With a police investigation still under way, it is unclear if Brunsdon entered the freeway on the Romeo Road off-ramp, but Kane said: “Something needs to be done to prevent any more tragedies.”

Despite an internal investigation into the Romeo Road intersection finding it met safety standards, Main Roads installed significant signage and road marking updates after Gray’s death

Friends of Gray’s told 9News Perth the Romeo Road intersection needed to be altered further to prevent people from being able to turn down the Mitchell Freeway off-ramp.

The Cook government is now facing calls from the opposition to release the results of an investigation by Main Roads into Romeo Road and the Mitchell Freeway terminus following Gray’s death.

Opposition transport minister Steve Martin said in October Police Minister Reece Whitby vowed the government would follow any lessons from a Main Roads investigation into Gray’s crash.

“So, we’re calling on the state government to outline what lessons were learned and explain what was done to address the identified problem ahead of this latest collision,” he said.

“The public deserves to know whether this latest incident could have been avoided.”

Both Main Roads and the government said the investigation found “the existing pavement markings and signage were found to comply with Main Roads’ and Australian standards and practices”.

Despite this, Main Roads installed larger “No Right Turn” signs at the intersection, and painted thick lines in the middle of the intersection.

The new signs and markings were designed to keep vehicles heading east on Romeo Road away from the off-ramp and funnel them toward the southbound on-ramp 160 metres away.

The off-ramp already had “Wrong Way Go Back” signs installed.

The government ignored questions about the opposition’s demand to make the findings public, but a spokeswoman for Transport Minister Rita Saffioti reiterated that Main Roads took action after the October crash.

“Main Roads’ investigated the October incident and took action to improve safety at the Romeo Road off-ramp by installing larger ‘No Right Turn’ signs and additional diagonal line road markings,” she said.

“The Cook government takes road safety very seriously and is committed to maintaining a safe road network across WA.”

The spokeswoman declined to comment on Sunday’s crash, but said there would be a further investigation by Main Roads WA.

“The incident on Mitchell Freeway on Sunday night was a tragedy, and our thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives,” she said.

“It is premature to comment on the latest incident as it is still under investigation by WA Police. Main Roads will also conduct its own investigation, which will determine if any further changes are needed.”

The City of Wanneroo declined to comment, directing questions to Main Roads WA.

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