The aftermath of the crashes included a total of six damaged vehicles and one person being flown to Royal Perth Hospital with serious injuries, while a number of others were taken to the Esperance Hospital.

It took two and a half hours for Fire and Rescue Services and St John Ambulance Officers to cut a 17-year-old boy out of a vehicle after a three-vehicle crash at about 10am.

The accident involved a white Holden Commodore driven by an 18-year-old who had two passengers - a 17-year-old in the front and a 22-year-old in the back - a white 4-wheel drive Toyota Land Cruiser driven by a man in his 60s, and a two door Toyota RAV4 driven by an 18-year old girl.

The 17-year-old passenger in the white Commodore was taken by RFDS to Perth for an operation where he had pins and plates installed in his leg.

Esperance Police Acting Senior Sergeant Greg Webb said that police are now investigating why the white Commodore turned in front of the Land Cruiser.

“From what we understand is the RAV4 was just waiting to turn onto Harbour Road when the crash happened.

“The collision between the Commodore and the Land Cruiser had bumped the girl into the RAV4,” he said.

The railway crossing was shut down for about three hours as four St John Ambulance crew, four police officers and Australian Railroad Group (ARG) assisted with the ten FRS members with the incident.

“There was one ARG guy who stayed with the 17-year-old passenger in the Commodore for a couple of hours,” Snr Sgt Webb said.

Just hours later, a ‘mirror image’ of the crash took place in the same spot at about 3.30pm.

This time a Holden Commodore turned in front of a Holden Statesman and collided with a Hyundai Sedan.

Two female drivers, from the Statesman and the Hyundai, were taken to hospital.

Snr Sgt Webb said that the road was not the problem, rather it was the behaviour of drivers that caused these incidents.

“What people need to remember is what they first learn while they were learning how to drive and stick to it.

“It’s not the road that is at fault.

“The two incidents are identical and we spent most of the day at the same crash site,” he said.

Main Roads, Network Operations Manager, Sandy Walton, said that the incidents were still under investigation hence he could not yet comment.