Bundaberg News Mail: Collision kills nurse

A shocking hit and run accident claimed the life of a Bundaberg nurse in Targo Street on Saturday night. Judy Connolly, 44, was cycling along Targo Street after 7pm, when she was allegedly hit by a car and instantly killed. While nearby residents rushed to her aid, a car allegedly stopped momentarily before speeding away from the scene.

Bundaberg Police Criminal Investigation Branch detectives questioned a 20-year-old Bundaberg man in relation to the incident yesterday, but released him pending further questioning. They also seized a green Mazda 121 for further scientific testing. The NewsMail has been told Ms Connolly, who had a teenage son, had worked at both the Mater and Bundaberg Hospitals and was well known in the tight-knit nursing fraternity.

A former co-worker said she expected Ms Connolly to be widely mourned. Police are still seeking more information about the incident. Just hours after Targo Street reopened, two flower posies and yellow paint marks were the only clue a woman had lost her life in a horrific crash.

But news of the hit and run accident spread through Bundaberg yesterday with friends and family mourning the loss of a dedicated mother and nurse. Judy Connolly, 44, was riding down the suburban street on a bicycle just after 7pm, when she was allegedly struck by a vehicle and killed instantly. Witnesses told police the car involved in the crash stopped momentarily after the collision, but quickly sped off and was last seen at the intersection of Targo and Walla streets.

Emergency services rushed to the scene, but it was too late to save Ms Connolly. A major incident room was established at the Bundaberg Police Station on Saturday night as officers from the Bundaberg Criminal Investigation Branch and the Forensic Crash Unit were called in to search for the car involved in the accident. The accident scene was cordoned off for several hours on Saturday night with traffic diverted around the section of Targo Street between McMannie and Burnett streets.

A Queensland Police spokeswoman said the initial forensic examination of the scene provided police with evidence that could link a vehicle to the accident. She said a car involved in this type of collision would have sustained significant front end and possibly windscreen damage as a result of the crash. As the news of the incident began to spread yesterday, officers continued the hunt for the vehicle involved.

Bundaberg Police Criminal Investigation Branch Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Paul McCusker said officers located a car believed to be involved in the accident yesterday. “Inquiries have led police to find a car and driver which are believed to have been involved in a fatal hit and run traffic incident in Bundaberg last night,” Act Det Snr Sgt McCusker said.

“Police spoke with a 20-year-old Bundaberg man before releasing him, pending further inquiries.” A post-mortem examination and further scientific examinations on a green Mazda 121, which was seized by officers, is expected to take place today.

However police are still appealing to anyone who may have seen the vehicle in the vicinity of Targo Street about 7pm or may have seen a vehicle with significant front end damage to telephone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.