Four killed in Ballina crash were drinking

Four people killed in a car crash near Ballina are believed to have been drinking before the accident.

It was 1.20am when the silver sedan swerved off the road, flipped into a ditch and hit a tree at high impact.

“I heard a crunch, a metallic crunch, and a hissing sound,” witness Sharyn Poole.

Behind the wheel was unlicensed driver Jessica Camidge, 22.

On board were Richard Wells, 19, William Manton, 20, and Samantha Enright, 17.

They had been drinking at Camidge’s residence when they decided to drive into Ballina.

Police believe she was overtaking a B-Double when she saw another truck in the opposite lane heading straight for their car, forcing her to swerve and lose control.

“Our hearts go out to their families, their friends and the wider community, for this absolutely devastating loss,” deputy commissioner Catherine Burn said.

Today tributes were laid at the scene.

The dangerous stretch of road is signed 80km/hr and is a “no overtaking” zone, but at night, neighbours say, road rules are often ignored.