A 22-year-old Uber driver completing his final ride of the night and a young man returning home after celebrating his birthday were among three people killed in a tragic crash in Sydney’s south early on Saturday.
The victims were identified as Shoaib Hussain, a Pakistani international student and rideshare driver, 28-year-old Seamus Duignan, and 42-year-old Tamati Gilbert, the driver of the Audi involved in the collision.
According to police, the crash occurred around 12:35 a.m. on Rocky Point Road at Sans Souci after a white Audi allegedly crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with a Toyota Camry operating as an Uber vehicle.
Friends said Hussain had recently begun driving for Uber to support himself while studying social work in Australia and to help provide for his family in Pakistan. He was reportedly completing his last trip before heading home when the crash happened.
His close friend, Qasim Malik, said Hussain had spoken to him shortly before the incident and mentioned he was finishing one final job for the night.
“He was a kind and caring person and still so young,” Malik said.
Friends described Hussain as hardworking and humble, noting he had not seen his family in Pakistan for four years while balancing study, work, and family responsibilities.
Passenger Seamus Duignan was returning home from a Fear Factory concert at Liberty Hall in Moore Park after celebrating his birthday with friends.
Those close to Duignan remembered him as a generous and warm-hearted person. His friend Mitchell McLean said he would “give you the shirt off his own back,” while his brother Sean described him as “a good man, brother and uncle” who loved to make people laugh.
The band Fear Factory also paid tribute after learning that one of their fans had died following the Sydney concert.
Police revealed officers had attended a welfare check involving Audi driver Tamati Gilbert at a home in Gymea Bay roughly 10 minutes before the fatal crash. Authorities said Gilbert drove away before officers were able to speak with him.
CCTV footage allegedly captured the Audi travelling at high speed shortly before the collision.
NSW Police said a full coronial investigation would examine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of grief, with fundraising efforts launched to support the families of Hussain and Duignan.