‘I just did what I hope someone would do for me’
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A Pacific Paradise man who was first at the scene of a double fatality on Easter Sunday has described how he tried to comfort one of the crash victims while emergency crews arrived.
The man, who asked not to be named, said the couple was trapped inside the white Nissan SUV after the head-on collision with a tree and there was little he and nearby residents could do to save the pair.
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He said he held the man's head upright while waiting for emergency services to arrive in what "felt like forever".
"I just did what I hope someone would do for me," he said.
The crash happened on David Low Way near Nungo St, Pacific Paradise, about 7am on Easter Sunday.
Prominent Maroochydore builder Robert Makara, 69, and his wife Elizabeth, 68, were inside the car.
Paramedics rushed the pair to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital but Mr Makara died a short time later, while Mrs Makara passed away about 10pm on Sunday.
Police are now investigating whether the crash was a deliberate act and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
The first responder, who lives near the crash site, said the couple was "in a bad way" and he was unable to perform CPR.
He said a neighbour across the road alerted authorities who responded within minutes.
"The car was wedged into the tree, I knew straight away they'd have to be cut out," he said.
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"He was stuck in there, so I just had to comfort him as best I could.
"His legs were pinned and the car wedged into the tree.
"It wasn't good.
"She was pretty dazed too and going in and out of consciousness," he said.
Firefighters used the jaws of life to cut the man and woman free in a desperate bid to save their lives.
Sunshine Coast CIB officer-in-charge Daren Edwards said suicide notes were later found in the Nissan SUV and at the pair's residence.
Mr Makara's brother Geoffrey on Monday described the couple as "warm, friendly people".
CIB detectives and the Sunshine Coast Forensic Crash Unit have launched a joint investigation into the crash.
If you need help, please contact Beyond Blue via phone 1300 224 636 or visit beyondblue.org.au or contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au.
