'Road rage' kills dad on way to newborn son

A man has died in a car accident in Australia on the way to hospital to see his newborn son.

Bill MacDonald, 46, lost control of his car while driving to Gosford Hospital to see his partner, Joanne Jennison, about 6.30pm on Friday.

Mr MacDonald, a DJ, was killed when he crashed side-on into a pole.

He never got to see his son, who has been named Bill jnr. It was the couple's first child together. Mr MacDonald had four children from a previous relationship.

Sydney's Crash Investigations Unit is looking into the circumstances of the accident and described it as suspected road rage.

Sergeant Brett Samuel said Mr MacDonald was believed to have been involved in a verbal altercation with the driver of a second car travelling in the same direction on the Central Coast Highway at Erina.

The row went on for up to a kilometre, according to a witness, Sergeant Samuel said.

Mr MacDonald, driving a Lexcen sedan, then sped up and overtook the other vehicle, before losing control of his car near the intersection of Ernest Street and crashing into a pole. He died instantly.

The other driver, who was in a red car, did not stop after the crash and is being searched for by police.

Sergeant Samuel said police were aware of the circumstances surrounding the accident. ''Technically you could class it as road rage, but it does appear he was travelling to hospital, so whether it was road rage or impatience ...'' he said.

Michael Mason, owner of the Central Coast nightspot Club Malibu where Mr MacDonald regularly performed under the name DJ XTreem, said it was inconceivable Mr MacDonald could be involved in a road rage incident.

''Bill hasn't got a cross bone in his body. He's a very soft, timid man, very quietly spoken and there's no way in the world he would have been associated with road rage,'' Mr Mason said.

Club Malibu general manager Mista Sauer said it was possible Mr MacDonald had been travelling over the speed limit to get to the hospital in time for the birth, and was frustrated by the second car. ''Someone probably saw him in a rush and probably was a smart-arse trying to hold him up,'' Mr Sauer said.

Last night, friends of Mr Macdonald planned to hold a memorial at Club Malibu.

In another crash on the Central Coast, a sedan ploughed into a group of six men walking on a footpath at Toukley at 2am yesterday, seriously injuring three. The injured men, believed to be in their late teens or early 20s, were taken to Gosford Hospital.

Police are appealing for help from the public to find the driver, who did not stop at the scene.

- © Fairfax NZ News