Scots golfer 'traumatised' after head-on smash kills 2

Dale Reid, 51, who recently emigrated to Australia from Scotland escaped serious injury when the seven-ton truck in which she was a passenger collided with a four-wheel-drive car.

The impact was so violent that the truck was pushed on to its side, forcing the golfer and another 18-year-old passenger, understood to be the driver's son, to escape by climbing through a smashed passenger window.

The driver of the car, a 31-year-old man, and an eight-year-old boy who was in the car, were both killed in the crash. The pair had been travelling with a four-year-old girl who was airlifted to Brisbane hospital in a critical condition. A 26-year-old woman was also taken to nearby Gladstone Hospital with serious injuries.

The accident happened at 4am on Sunday morning on the Bruce Highway near the coastal town of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia.

Ms Reid and her fellow passenger were not seriously injured, but the truck driver, a 48-year-old man, had to be airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. Despite having been drenched in diesel during the accident, Ms Reid went to the aid of the others after the crash.

The section of highway where the crash occurred was closed as police investigated, but re-opened early in the afternoon.

Roy Wicks, 72, Ms Reid's brother-in-law, said she had been left "traumatised" by what happened. "She phoned to speak with us and her mother who lives with us.

"She is okay but has a lot of cuts and bruises," he said.

"The truck was returning to Brisbane with furniture but I don't know if this was for them or not. We spoke to her at the weekend and she doesn't seem to remember much. She said she wasn't looking at the road at the time, but heard a bang and saw a flash.

"She and the driver's son managed to get out by themselves but I understand the driver had to be cut out of the truck.

"When she saw the vehicle up the road she went to lend assistance, even though she was drenched in diesel.

''She was obviously quite traumatised at finding the gentleman and the boy were both dead. I think she tried to cover the girl with her jacket to keep her warm."

Ms Reid's sister, Valda Wicks, said: "We are just so happy she is okay. She is obviously very tearful because she is thinking about the other family."

Mr Wicks said that although she had escaped relatively unscathed, she was suffering from flashbacks of the incident.

Ms Reid, from Ladybank, north-east Fife, left Scotland for Australia four months ago to live permanently with her partner, who is from the country.

She is one of the most successful professional golfers in the history of the Ladies European Tour, with 21 tournament victories.

She topped the prestigious Order of Merit twice in the 1980s, played for Europe in four Solheim Cups and was made an OBE in 2001.