Ms Bradley had grown up in Glen Innes and it was a shock to many to hear the devastating news.

The 20 year old had been travelling home alone from Inverell along the Gwydir Highway in her Holden Commodore when she veered onto the incorrect side of the road 19km east of Inverell and collided with an oncoming Nissan Navara utility just before 2pm.

Police from the New England Local Area Command attended the crash and confirmed that she had died on the scene.

The four male occupants in the second vehicle came from Inverell and received minor injuries.

The highway was closed to allow police to conduct inquiries and for both vehicles to be recovered. Localised diversions were in place through Elsmore until the road reopened at 10.30pm.

Ms Bradley had been a familiar face at Diana Corcoran Real Estate from 2006 to 2008 and more recently could be seen behind the counter of the Glen Innes McDonalds restaurant.

McDonalds franchisee Adrian Sipple said both he and staff sincerely miss her.

“She was very popular and friends with everyone. She was always smiling and there were never any dramas when she was around,” he said.

“Everyone here is really upset but they are a fairly close team and are all supporting each other. They are coping really well.”

Mrs Corcoran resounded these thoughts and said she was a special woman.

“She is the brightest young person I have ever employed. She was always so quick to learn things,” she said.

“I think her two greatest qualities were her beautiful smile and infectious laugh. Everyone always commented on how smiley she was.”