Emily Shepherd, the secretary of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, said the situation was “devastating” and she offered her condolences to Ms Gee’s family and colleagues.
A husband says it is “unfair” his wife and the mother of their two young boys has died following a head-on car crash with an unrelated man who police say was driving erratically after stabbing his partner.
Elaine Gee, 39, from Winkleigh in Tasmania’s north, died in hospital days after the two-vehicle crash on the West Tamar Highway at Legana, which also killed the 42-year-old man in the other car.
The two vehicles collided in a fiery crash on the West Tamar Highway on Friday afternoon, ultimately resulting in two deaths. (Supplied: Bradley Moylon)
Ms Gee, a nurse at Launceston General Hospital, was driving home from work at the time of the crash on Friday afternoon.
She was initially taken to Royal Hobart Hospital in a critical condition but Tasmania Police announced on Sunday evening that she had died.
Bystanders stopped near the scene of the crash, where damage to the highway divider was visible. (Supplied: Bradley Moylon)
Shortly before the crash, the 42-year-old man in the other car had stabbed his partner of six months — a woman in her 40s — multiple times at a house in Exeter, police said.
The stabbing victim was taken to Launceston General Hospital, where she remains in a serious but stable condition.
Both the man and the woman were visiting the state from Perth, in Western Australia.
Husband pays tribute to ‘best friend’
Rodney Gee says there situation is “just completely unacceptable, unfair and crap”. (Supplied: Lisa Gibson)
In a social media post, Ms Gee’s husband, Rodney Gee, mourned his “best friend” and “beautiful wife”.
“There are no clever words for it. This entire situation is just completely unacceptable, unfair and crap,”
he said.
“So please, it is going to take all of us … to help me make the good boys we have raised together become the great men she knew they could be.
“I can be their dad, but no-one can ever replace their mum.”
An online fundraiser for Elaine Gee’s family says she has “left behind a legacy of genuine care and relentless advocacy”. (Facebook: Rod Gee)
More than $110,000 has been collected through an online fundraiser to support the family.
According to the fundraiser, Ms Gee was driving home from work when a man “deliberately drove straight into” her vehicle.
It said she was a loving wife, the mother of two boys, aged six and 10, and had worked at the hospital for 20 years.
“What was supposed to be Elaine’s 40th birthday will now be her funeral, to say [her] family and friends are devastated beyond words is an understatement,”
it said.
“She has left behind a legacy of genuine care and relentless advocacy, and our community is forever better for her commitment to people in need.”
Elaine Gee was about to celebrate her 40th birthday. (Supplied: Lisa Gibson)
The fundraiser was established to help pay for her funeral and to support her family members as they navigate their grief.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said his “heart goes out” to Ms Gee’s family, as well as her friends and colleagues.
“Elaine was someone who gave over two decades of service helping people within our health system and it is a huge loss to our community,” he said.
“Her colleagues in the health community will be devastated by the loss of such a loved and valued colleague.”
Emily Shepherd, the secretary of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, said the situation was “devastating” and she offered her condolences to Ms Gee’s family and colleagues.
“The entire situation is tragic and absolutely senseless,”
Ms Shepherd said.
“Our condolences go out to [her] family first and foremost and of course to the nursing and midwifery community and [her] colleagues that have worked with her for many years.”
Man drove erratically after stabbing partner, police say
The WA man and his partner were visiting Tasmania and staying at a relative’s house in Exeter after arriving in the state on Wednesday.
