A late-night drive for Uber ended in tragedy in Sydney’s south, killing Shoaib Hussain, a 22-year-old social work student who had only just begun driving at the start of 2026. Hussain was behind the wheel of a blue Camry when a speeding white Audi hit his car in Sans Souci, and he died alongside Seamus Duignan, 28, and the Audi driver, Tamati Gilbert.

The crash came after police were alerted at around 12.25am to serious concerns for Gilbert’s welfare. His partner had contacted officers expressing grave fears about his mental health, and police found him sitting inside the Audi in a driveway in Gymea Bay. He sped off before officers could speak to him. About 10 minutes later, emergency services received reports that the Audi had vaulted a concrete barrier and struck the Camry on Rocky Point Road, about 13km away.

CCTV footage later showed Gilbert driving at considerable speeds moments before the crash. That sequence has turned the case into more than a fatal collision. It has become a question about what happens when a person in acute distress gets back on the road before anyone can stop them.

Hussain had moved to Australia four years ago to study and had not returned to Pakistan since, according to a family friend who spoke for relatives in the days after the crash. He was one of four brothers and the second son. His friends said he worked weekend car check shifts for Uber to support himself while studying and to send money home. One friend said he was doing “one last job for the night” when he died.

Qasim Malik, who described Hussain as a mate he spoke to by phone every day, said the family wanted his body sent back so he could be buried in Pakistan. Malik described him as “a kind and lovely bloke” who arrived in Australia when he was 18, adding that the death was a huge loss for friends and family. Hussain was also described by those close to him as kind and hardworking.

Duignan had been returning home after celebrating his birthday at a concert when he was killed. His brother, Sean Duignan, described him as “a good bloke, brother and uncle” and said he was “never in trouble, just a good bloke who loved a laugh.” His mother, Kim Duignan, has called for a full inquest into what caused the crash. The family’s demand points to the central unanswered issue now facing investigators: why Gilbert was still on the road after police had already been called over grave concerns about his mental state.

The three deaths have left two families pursuing very different but linked answers. One wants to bring a son home to Pakistan. The other wants a public accounting of how a fatal pursuit across Sydney’s south ended in so much loss.