As a swift warning to drivers, police stated last week to be aware of kangaroos and wildlife on the roads as there had been several wildlife related accidents in the Jimboomba policing district.
Woodhill residents Renae Gault and daughter Caitlyn Ferguson, 10, know first hand what it is like to be involved in a wildlife accident after hitting a kangaroo on Mount Lindesay Highway.
The accident occurred between the Cedar Grove turnoff and Woodhill Fire Station on May 21 just after 6pm.
The pair were uninjured but their family van may be written off.
Ms Gault said she does not usually drive that road at night.
“I just didn’t see it,” she said. “It was a very big kangaroo, it was pretty scary.
“It caved in the front of my van, there was a significant amount of damage to the engine.”
Ms Gault said she was disappointed that the car behind her just kept going.
“We were about one kilometre from home and the car was making a noise,” she said.
After driving her large van for five years, Ms Gault said she would never own a small car after seeing the damage.
“We could have been really injured,” she said.
“It’s really the best possible accident we could have had, we are safe and that’s what matters.”
University of Queensland associate professor Anne Goldizen said this was a classic problem.
“The kangaroos would not normally spend their time (on the side of the road), it must be nerve wracking for them,” she said.
“The obvious reason for this is just due to the road structures; the water runs off the side so there is more grass. We see this anywhere things are dry.”
“The best solution is to keep the roadside mowed, plus, in places they are most active we must slow down.”
