The confronting crash that changed Inspector Josh Dixon's life

"I just felt the air go out of my body."

Inspector Josh Dixon has spoken to A Current Affair for the first time about the crash investigation that changed his life.

It was February 2020 and a group of children walking to get ice cream had been mowed down by a driver on a drug and alcohol bender in Sydney's north-west.

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"We have a CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) system which we monitor around the state for crashes, and it came up and said seven children, multiple deceased, at Oatlands."

Inspector Dixon was among the first at the crash site, where he saw the bodies of 11-year-old Veronique Sakr, 13-year-old Antony Abdallah, 12-year-old Angelina Abdallah, and nine-year-old Sienna Abdallah.

"I've dealt with child fatalities before, but I've never dealt with child fatalities on this scale.

"Seeing four beautiful young kids dead on the ground in front of you. It's very confronting."

Inspector Dixon stuck with the families throughout the investigation, but he knew his job roadside with the Crash Investigation Unit had to come to an end.

The father-of-two has since moved into a different department within the NSW Traffic and Highway Patrol Command.

His team will be out in full force over the Easter holiday period with a message for drivers.

"Our biggest concern is not everybody reaches their destination," Inspector Dixon said.

"Just really think about what you're doing and be considerate."

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Fatalities on NSW roads in January and February this year were up 45 per cent compared to the first two months of 2025.

A total of 355 people were killed on the states roads last year.

"Every number in that statistic is a family, is a person, a son, a daughter, a community," said Craig Mackenzie, Veronique's stepdad.

Craig is a member of the Road Trauma Support Group NSW, and says he and Veronique's mother Bridget have tried to turn their pain into purpose.

"If people realised how serious the crime is, I don't think they would get behind the wheel recklessly," said Bridget.

"It still feels surreal, it's still very hard to believe that this tragedy did happen. The pain doesn't go away."

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