A rideshare operator and his passenger are among four road deaths in two separate crashes since Sunday morning.Rideshare driver Rob Baker, and his passenger, Tracey Strachan, were killed when his Kia Carnival collided head-on with a ute at Bengalla Road, Muswellbrook, just before 9.30pm on Sunday.
The ute driver, a man in his 30s, also died at the scene.
Tracey’s husband Brad Strachan, who was also a passenger in the Kia, was taken to John Hunter Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Officers from Hunter Valley Police District are investigating what caused the crash.
“It was a local rideshare service, the passengers in the vehicle at the time were regular users of the service,” NSW Police Chief Inspector Guy Guiana said.
Earlier on Sunday at Upper Allyn, about 125km from Muswellbrook, a woman was killed and a second woman injured following a single-vehicle crash.
Emergency services were called to Allyn River Rd, Upper Allyn following reports a Toyota Landcruiser had rolled down an embankment and crashed into Allyn River.
Witnesses scaled the embankment and freed the female passenger before performing CPR on her.
The treatment was continued by NSW Ambulance paramedics when they arrived but the woman died at the scene. She is yet to be formally identified.
The driver, an 18-year-old woman, managed to free herself from the vehicle before she was flown to John Hunter Hospital. She is in a stable condition.
Officers from Port Stephens Hunter Police District established a crime scene and launched an investigation. A report will be prepared for the coroner.