Nangwarry accident: 5-year-old boy killed in terrifying three-car collision on Riddoch Highway after car collided with emu

A five-year-old boy has died and a teenager is in a critical condition after a horrific three-car collision on the South Australia-Victoria border.

Emergency services were called to the Riddoch Highway at around 2.40pm on Sunday, October 27, following reports of a three-car crash about five kilometers south of Nangwarra.

South Australia Police (SAPOL) say a Holden sedan hit an emu, causing the Toyota station wagon to brake.

The Nissan ute then hit the rear of the Toyota.

A five-year-old boy driving the Toyota died on the spot, and a 15-year-old girl was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The other passengers in the station wagon – a 42-year-old driver, a 46-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy – were taken to hospital with minor injuries. SAPOL said all the people in the Toyota were from Mount Gambier.

The driver of the Nissan Ute that rear-ended their car, a 22-year-old man from Worrolong, was not injured but was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Meanwhile, the female driver and sole passenger of the Holden, who was the first to hit the emu, was uninjured.

A section of the Riddoch Highway – from McEnroe Road to Nangwarry Road – remains closed on Monday and diversions are in place.

The police are investigating the circumstances of the collision.