Girl and stepmother die after car plunges into dam

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 10 Oct, 02:48 · Archive

A ten-year-old girl and her 36-year-old stepmother have been found dead after their car crashed into a dam in rural Queensland.

Arliyah James, ten, and her stepmother Lisa, 36, were found dead inside a blue Subaru Tribeca after it crashed into a dam on Springvale Road in Tinana South, near Maryborough, Queensland on Thursday evening. Emergency services were called just before 5.30pm following reports of the vehicle in the water.

The pair were reportedly on their way to collect other children from school when their car left the road, crashed through a fence and plunged into the dam. Arliyah's father, Steve James, discovered the vehicle upside down in the water after the school contacted him to say the children had not been collected. A local farmer also rushed to the water to help attempt a rescue, but both occupants were found to have already died.

Arliyah's mother, Sarah Gorman, has paid tribute to her daughter in an emotional statement to the Courier-Mail. 'The one who kept me on my toes and made all our hearts burst with love,' she said. 'Love you all the way below the fishes and all the way up, up above with the clouds, where you now are, our lil angel. My heart will forever be missing its beat, my baby. I love you so much.'

How it is being reported

• Heartboken mum pays tribute to 'beautiful princess' after tragic Australia car crash deathArliyah James, 10, and her stepmother Lisa, 36, were both found dead after their vehicle crashed into a dam on the way to pick up other children from schoolThe Mirror · 10 Oct, 02:31
• Primary school girl, 10, and stepmother, 36, identified after car plunged into a dam and her father tried to save themArliyah James, 10, and her stepmother, Lisa, 36, were found dead inside the vehicle despite a local farmer's desperate attempts to save them.Daily Mail · 10 Oct, 01:28

In this story: Arliyah James · Lisa · Sarah Gorman · Steve James · Queensland · Maryborough · Tinana South

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