A 28 Year-Old Man Was Killed In Sydney After Riding a Trolley Into an Oncoming Car

A 28 year-old Swedish man is dead with another in hospital after the two friends tried to ride a shopping trolley down a hill. Police are keeping a pretty tight lid on the details, but it seems two Swedes—one studying at the University of NSW, and the other visiting—were luging the trolley down Coogee Bay Road in the Sydney suburb of Randwick.

They allegedly found the trolley at the top of the hill around midnight on Tuesday morning. Police estimate (presumably by looking at the state of trolley) that the guys hit speeds of around 80 kph before they ploughed into a car coming up the hill, near the intersection of Judge St.

The deceased man was crouched in the front, which flung him over the car and onto the curb. His friend was standing on the back and ended up on the road. The driver of the car was uninjured and tried to resuscitate the two men, but one died at the scene. The other was rushed to the Prince of Wales Hospital in a critical condition.

Coogee Bay Road runs straight directly to the hospital, which, in a sad twist of fate, sits at the top of the hill. The two men had probably found the trolley within 100 metres of the casualty ward.

At this point it's unknown whether the two men had been drinking before the accident, although the driver of the car was cleared of culpability after passing a drugs and alcohol test. Police also commended a cyclist who stopped to offer assistance before paramedics arrived.

Footage recorded after the accident shows a badly warped trolley tipped over a curb surrounded by ambulance workers. Detective Superintendent Gavin Dengate, who attended the scene, voiced his sadness to Fairfax, saying "We're dealing with what is just a tragic, tragic incident, both for the close group of friends and the families concerned." He also explained that police would have the gruelling task of contacting the family of deceased.

The University's President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs also offered his condolences to Fairfax saying, "Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with the young man's family and friends at this difficult time."

It's understood the 28 year-old deceased man had been studying in Australia for two years prior to his death.