Harvey fatal crash: Police investigate tree branch in South Western Highway death of Steven Mark Pinter

Police are investigating whether a fallen tree branch contributed to the death of a man in Harvey last week — the second time in a year a branch has caused a serious crash in the area. The crash happened just before midnight on Tuesday along South Western Highway between Honeymoon Road and the turn-off into Uduc Concrete Products. A Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon were involved in a head-on collision. Steven Mark Pinter, a 60-year-old man from Bunbury, died at the scene. A 24-year-old man from Perth was airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital in a “serious but stable” condition. Major crash investigations are under way, however the mess left behind at the scene indicated a fallen branch may have caused the crash — something police said they were still investigating. The stretch is managed by Main Roads, but this is not the first time in the past year that a serious crash involving a tree branch has occurred. Less than 12 months ago, three people, including a three-year-old boy, had a lucky escape after a huge tree branch crushed their car while they were driving along South Western Highway in Cookernup, less than 5km north of where Mr Pinter died. The driver of last year’s crash, Jacinta Jennings, spoke exclusively to the Reporter and called on Main Roads to take action. She said many overhanging trees presented a serious risk to drivers. Main Roads WA was contacted for comment. The organisation said last year the highway was “routinely patrolled” and inspected for hazards.