Wagga City Council called to action after Belfrayden crash

At about 6.45pm on Monday, Vicky Lisle had been travelling in the family car - her husband following behind in a ute - when the pair slowed and indicated they would be turning right.

A third car that had been travelling behind them merged into the right lane to overtake, Mrs Lisle said, and wound up smashing into the back of her vehicle - where her infant son usually sits - with enough force to send the car flying.

It is an accident Mrs Lisle said Belfrayden residents had known would occur.

"It was only a matter of time," she said.

The small community has been calling on Wagga City Council to help reduce the current speed limit of 100kmh along Lockhart Road through Belfrayden to at least 80kmh for years.

"It's 100 kilometres through Belfrayden, so people will get really impatient if they have to slow down when someone is turning," Mrs Lisle said.

"Something needs to change out here. I'm not aware of any other town where the speed limit isn't reduced."

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Mrs Lisle's neighbour, Tegan Bury, was in her house when she heard the crash and instantly thought the worst.

Her biggest fear is that one day something will happen to one of the several children - all under 10 - who wait on the side of the road each morning to catch the school bus.

"I heard skids and then an almighty bang and I bolted. I expected to find Vicky slumped over the wheel, to be honest," she said.

"We are wanting double lines and the speed limit reduced to at least 80 kilometres. It's not a huge cost, I'm sure, to come and put up two signs and paint lines on the road.

"My kids get on the bus in the morning, so anyone who is travelling from Lockhart to Wagga for work and they're coming past at 100 kilometres, I alone have four kids standing out on the road.

"A lot aren't doing 100 kilometres either, they're doing 110 and 120 kilometres."

While the pair say they are aware that Wagga City Council is working with residents on plans to commence works on the road at Belfrayden, they are calling for fast action.

"The talk of it all is to have the road extended and speed limits in place and a bus stop put in and that's all wonderful," Mrs Lisle said.

"But we haven't been contacted and councils are known to be slow-moving.

"That's good that there is a plan in place, but we will still be sitting here in two years and the plans there but nothing changed."

My second thought was, what if I was a second slower to turn, he would have gone straight into the driver's seat.

The incident has left Mrs Lisle without a car and with a potential long-term injury.

"Tegan has been my Chauffeur for the last week, I've had to get to medical appointments, get X-rays, have scans, and see my doctor, they're looking at a whiplash injury that could potentially last for years and will need physiotherapy among other things," she said.

"I've been on the phone with insurance for hours.

"Medical expenses have cost me $1000 this week alone, which I've been told I'll be reimbursed for, but it's a lot of up-front costs."

The costs will come from the other driver's insurance, but it is Mrs Lisle who has had to do the heavy lifting to have it all sorted out.

"I'm in limbo, I don't know if my car will be written off. They are trying to sort out a hire car, so I've had to take the whole week off work because I can't get around, obviously the mental impact, the stress and the physical injury. My car seat is deemed unusable now as well so I need to go and get a new one of those now too."

A spokesperson for Wagga City Council said council is not aware of any proposal to reduce the speed limit between Collingullie and Belfrayden and Transport for NSW is responsible for setting speed limits.

"Council officers have been working with some representatives of the Belfrayden community to develop plans to upgrade the intersection into the grain silo at Belfrayden for heavy vehicle movements," the spokesperson said.

"It is intended to use these plans to make an application for funding under the Australian Governments Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program later in the calendar year.

"Council have proposed works out on Lockhart Road and so there are markings on the road to scope the extent of works to budget and allocate resources. However, heavy patching will likely commence towards the end of July or into early August with timing dependent on weather."