A local community has been rocked by the deaths of a dad and his young daughter in a horror crash that also left two boys seriously injured.
Ivy Hodgess, 11, and her father Wade, 45, died at the scene on The Bucketts Way in Tugrabakh, near Gloucester on the NSW mid coast on Friday.
Her brothers Lenix and Vann, aged 8 and 9, had to be freed from the wreckage by firefighters and were rushed to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.
Concerned family members contacted police early Saturday morning amid concerns that Mr Hodgess and his children had failed to arrive at a relative’s home.
Police launched an investigation and came across the crash site in Tugrabakh, about two hours later.
Mr Hodgess’ SUV had left the road and gone down an embankment.
A GoFundMe has been launched to support their shattered loved ones in the wake of the tragedy, including Ivy’s mum Simara and her partner Darryn.
The fundraiser’s organiser said the Forster-Tuncurry community had been rocked by ‘devastating’ tragedy.
Police are searching for information after the deaths of 11-year-old Ivy Hodgess (pictured) and her father, Wade Hodgess, in a tragic crash in NSW’s mid-North Coast on Saturday morning
The fundraiser’s organiser said the Forster-Tuncurry community had been ‘rocked with the devastating news’.
‘Simara & Darryn have rushed to be by their side whilst grieving the loss of their daughter & caring for the other children in the family,’ the page states.
‘We ask upon the community to dig deep & help this family give their little girl a beautiful send off.
‘These funds will be contributed to the ongoing rehabilitation, counselling, travel, rental assistance and any other day to day expenses that might arise.
“May Ivy and Wade rest in peace.”
The fundraiser has raised almost $13,000 within 24 hours.
The tragedy also sent shockwaves through the Forster-Tuncurry Junior Rugby League Football Club, which the family had ties to.
Police were told they may have been travelling to a relative’s home when they veered off of The Bucketts Way, in Tugrabakh (pictured), and crashed
A post to the club’s Facebook page said one of the ‘junior Hawks family’s needs our support more than ever right now’.
‘Understandably during this time, there are going to be some considerable expenses … (that) will put a significant strain on the family budget,’ the post reads.
Lenix, 8, has since undergone surgery.
‘The prognosis for both Lenix and Vann is looking promising,’ the club’s post added.
A crime scene was established as police launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Initial reports suggest the SUV had been involved in a ‘minor crash’ earlier that night, according the NSW Police.
Anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
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