A Canberra man who was commuting home from work has died after his car was hit head-on by another car, which police say appeared to be travelling on the wrong side of the road.
Warning: This story contains confronting images.
Detective Acting Inspector Paul Hutcheson ACT Road Policing said late last night police were called to the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Hindmarsh Drive.
"Tragically, last night the ACT recorded its seventh road fatality for 2022," he said.
"At about 11pm police were called to a two-vehicle collision on Hindmarsh Drive between O'Malley and Red Hill.
"Initial reports were that one of the vehicles was travelling at high speeds on the wrong side of the road and collided with a second vehicle.
Members of the public as well as personnel from ACT Policing and ACT Fire and Rescue and paramedics all assisted at the scene of the crash.
A male driver in his 20s was pulled from the wreckage of one of the vehicles and taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he was later pronounced dead.
Just hours later, the number of deaths on ACT roads this year rose to eight.
Another person died after their car crossed onto the wrong side of Kingsford Smith Drive in Melba.
ACT Policing said the driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and the passenger of the car sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Police call on public for information
Detective Acting Inspector Hutcheson said the man who died had been travelling home from work at the time of the crash and had not been driving dangerously.
A female was extracted from the other vehicle and was also taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
She remains in a critical condition.
Detective Acting Inspector Hutcheson called on anyone with information about the crash or who may have witnessed anything of interest to contact police.
"A young man has lost his life."
He said police were also investigating whether a third vehicle was involved in the incident, and were working off reports that driver had left the scene of the crash without providing assistance.
Detective Acting Inspector Hutcheson said police were investigating the possibility of the third car also being on the wrong side of the road.
"I'd like to acknowledge the trauma ... that this causes to people that observed the collision."
