A married SA couple have been identified as the two victims of a horrific crash, just several hundred metres from their home in Magdala. Rose Hampel, 63, and Ian Hampel, 67, were just beginning the 20km journey north to Gawler on Friday when their ute collided with a truck about 2pm. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Married couple named as victims of tragic SA crash.
SA Police confirmed the Hampels both died at the scene. The experienced truck driver involved in the crash, a 55-year-old man, sustained minor shoulder and arm injuries and was also treated for shock. Police said the force of the collision brought down power lines and Major Crash detectives were investigating.
The truck company told 7NEWS in a statement: “Sellick Transport is a family-run business which has been operating for 50 years, and our priority has always been safety and compliance.” The pair survived the Pinery bushfire in 2015, which blazed through South Australia’s Mid-North region at an unprecedented speed, killing two people and destroying 91 homes. Ian and Rose chose to stay in their home and defend their property as the blaze fire raged toward them.
Ian — known to locals as the “fire chief” — told the CFS the year after the fire: ”By the time you smell smoke, in conditions like that, you’ve probably got five or ten minutes, tops. I took shelter inside for the event, I was hoping that wetting stuff down worked.” Rose had worked at National Pharmacies and as a hairdresser, according to cust.