Tributes for teen as charges laid over fatal hit-run

A heartbroken family has paid tribute to a 17-year-old girl killed in a hit-and-run crash that sparked an intense manhunt and led to her arrest hours later.

The girl, identified only as Olivia by her family, was found with “catastrophic injuries” on a highway in Margate, north of Brisbane, about 11.30pm on Monday.

The police made great efforts to save her life on the roadside, but the woman died at the scene.

Following reports that the driver of a white Nissan Navara ute fled the scene, a manhunt for the driver has been launched, with police warning the investigation will be “relentless”.

“This is a significant incident. It’s a serious matter,” a Queensland Police spokesman said.

A 58-year-old man was later charged in connection with the death.

Olivia’s devastated family previously released an emotional statement saying their much-loved daughter and sister is just a month away from turning 18.

“He loved his loved ones with all his heart,” they said Tuesday.

“She never fully realized how beautiful she truly was, and she never realized how much she touched the people around her.”

The family said Olivia will be remembered as a beautiful and gentle soul who cared deeply for everyone around her.

“He had a way of making everyone he crossed paths feel cared for and understood,” they said.

Young had just begun to recover after the significant difficulties he had experienced in recent years.

“His resilience became a quiet rhythm in his life, a way to remind himself to never give up,” the family’s statement said. The statement was included.

“She was taken from us too soon, just as Olivia was healing and getting her light back.”

The 58-year-old Scarborough man was charged with dangerous driving causing death and leaving the scene without assistance.

He was refused police bail and will appear at Redcliffe Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.