Cairns community light candles for crash victim Savannah Spence Paige

Cairns community gather for vigil in memory of crash victim Savannah Spence Paige Mon 10 Aug 2026 at 9:53am In short: Dozens of people gathered at Fogarty Park in memory of Savannah Spence Paige on Sunday night. Ms Spence Paige died when her car was hit on the Smithfield Bypass on Wednesday, August 5 by a ute allegedly stolen from Palm Cove minutes earlier. What's next? Community is calling for more action to make roads safer for everyone. A 25-year-old woman who was killed in a multi-vehicle crash, allegedly caused by a man driving a stolen car, has been remembered at a community vigil held in Cairns in Far North Queensland. Savannah Spece Paige died when her car was hit on the Smithfield Bypass on Wednesday, August 5 by a ute allegedly stolen from Palm Cove minutes earlier. Yesterday night, dozens of people gathered at Fogarty Park in memory of Ms Spence Paige, a Kewarra Beach resident. As the sun set, family and friends sat at the front of the crowd as candles were lit around a photo of the woman. Vigil organiser Shinae West said she wanted to give the community a place to grieve together after the Ms Spence Paige's death. "In honour of her life, and Cairns getting together and grieving together with the family, is really what it's about," Ms West said. She said Ms Spence Paige's death "hit home" because her own family had experienced a similar tragedy almost a decade ago. "My brother was killed in a car accident in 2007. It could've been avoided really," Ms West said. Jake Edward Warn, 36, has been charged with manslaughter and four other offences over the crash. He remains in custody ahead of his next hearing in October. But police prosecutors have flagged they may ask for the charge to be upgraded to murder. Grief and anger In the days after the crash, police described Ms Spence Paige's death as devastating for the whole community. In a statement, her family has since thanked locals for the outpouring of support, saying they were touched by plans for the vigil. They described Ms Spence Paige as someone with an incredible sense of humour and a kind and caring heart. "She has left a hole in our hearts that can never be filled,"they said. The statement said she had only recently started a new life with her husband in Cairns. Jenna Shingles said the crash had shaken her, and she attended to show support for the family. "Our daughter is 17, and driving, and she just drove [the Smithfield Bypass] to have lunch with me half an hour beforehand," she said. "It could have been anyone." Alicia Clark said the crash was "close to our hearts". "The whole situation is so tragic and to think it could have been avoided, it could have been prevented,"she said. Leonie Bowen said she felt compelled to attend the vigil. "I think there's a lot of people here that are just here to say we care — there's not ... much else we can say," she said. "Just to let the husband and the family know that the whole Cairns community is supporting them. "They're not alone. It's so very sad." An online fundraising attempt set up since the crash has so far raised more than $60,000, from hundreds of donors, toward helping Ms Spence Paige's husband Lachlan cover expenses.