A young girl who died in a car accident after passing her driver's test on Tuesday had text her two best friends "I got my licence" just hours before her death.
Kimberley Berente, from Mandurah south of Perth, and her two mates then set off to a nearby beach in Bouvard but by lunchtime, the teenager was dead.
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The 17-year-old lost control of her Subaru Outback on the unsealed road around 12:30 and the vehicle rolled several times.
She suffered serious head injuries described by police on the scene as "catastrophic".
Officers assessing the accident believe speed was not a factor in the crash and say all three girls were wearing seatbelts.
"There is nothing here at all to indicate the driver was exceeding the speed limit or doing anything wrong whatsoever," he said Major crash investigator Det-Sen. Const. Stephen Morgan said.
"Unfortunately, it is just inexperience on an unsealed road. It is a loose surface and very bumpy.
"The driver had unfortunately just obtained her licence this morning and she lost control of the car on the loose surface and the car has overturned a number of times.
"It's a tragedy at any time, but coming up to this time of year where families want to be together."
The two 16-year-old passengers were assessed at Royal Perth Hospital. It is understood they suffered minor injuries.
Tributes have since flowed for the Year 11 Halls Head College student, who was remembered by friends as a "beautiful" person, who will never be forgotten.
"You will always be in my heart, you precious, precious soul," one friend wrote.
''You never know what it feels like to lose your best friend until you actually have lost them. You were such a beautiful person and you always lit up my day,' wrote another.
It is understood one of the young women was able to call her mother to say they had been in an accident, while a passer-by called emergency services.
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