Wakehurst Parkway Accident – A serious single-vehicle crash on Sydney’s Northern Beaches has left an 18-year-old driver fighting serious injuries after his car slammed into a rock wall on the Wakehurst Parkway at Oxford Falls. The dramatic incident unfolded late Thursday morning and prompted a large-scale emergency response, including specialist rescue crews and a medical helicopter.
Just after 10.30am on Thursday, 18 December, emergency services were alerted to reports of a high-speed collision on the downhill northbound lanes of Wakehurst Parkway, approximately one kilometer north of Oxford Falls Road. Triple Zero (000) callers reported that a blue 2017 Mazda 3 sedan, displaying red P-plates, had suddenly veered off the roadway before crashing into a rock wall with significant force.
Witnesses told emergency operators that airbags deployed on impact and the vehicle rolled onto its side before sliding an estimated 100 metres down the parkway. The crash occurred near a stretch of road locally known as “the bends,” an area with a history of serious accidents due to its curvature and steep gradient.
Bystanders who stopped to assist discovered the teenage driver, an 18-year-old male from Collaroy, trapped inside the wreckage. He was reportedly unrestrained at the time of the crash and was knocked unconscious during the initial impact. The collision caused the Wakehurst Parkway to be blocked, leading to immediate traffic congestion in both directions.
Multiple emergency agencies were dispatched to the scene, including NSW Police, Fire and Rescue NSW crews from Narrabeen Station, and NSW Rural Fire Service units from Beacon Hill and Davidson. NSW Ambulance responded with two crews from Northern Beaches Hospital, supported by Intensive Care Paramedics from Mona Vale Ambulance Station. Given the severity of the crash, the Toll NSW Ambulance Rescue Helicopter was also deployed from Bankstown.
When first responders arrived, they found the young man conscious but trapped, with his lower legs pinned inside the heavily damaged vehicle. Firefighters established fire suppression measures while specialist rescue teams began a complex extrication using hydraulic rescue equipment such as shears and spreaders. Due to the extensive damage, crews were forced to carefully dismantle parts of the car to avoid worsening the driver’s injuries.
The rescue helicopter landed at St Pius X College Playing Fields shortly after 11.15am, with police escorting the aeromedical team to the crash site. After removing the driver’s side of the vehicle and pushing the dashboard away, rescuers successfully freed the teenager just before 11.30am.
Paramedics and a trauma doctor assessed the driver at the scene. He sustained significant leg injuries and complained of back and abdominal pain, raising concerns about possible internal injuries. After being stabilised, he was transported to Royal North Shore Hospital shortly before 11.45am, where he was admitted in a serious but stable condition.
Traffic on Wakehurst Parkway remained affected while the wrecked vehicle was recovered and debris cleared. The road fully reopened shortly after 12.45pm. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, and no additional injuries were reported. NSW Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.