Authorities are investigating a fiery multi-vehicle crash that claimed the lives of at least three men in Queensland‘s Wide Bay region overnight.
A 53-year-old Maryborough man driving an SUV was turning right onto the Bruce Highway from Walker Street when he collided head-on with a semi-trailer heading south.
The semi-trailer then moved right, into the lane of oncoming traffic, colliding with another semi-trailer that was travelling north through Maryborough West. Acting Superintendent Paul Algie said the two trucks — one carrying lithium batteries — “burst into flames instantaneously” with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services still working to control the fire on Saturday morning, but it has since been extinguished.
Two other vehicles crashed into the trailers of both trucks. They were a ute that was travelling north with a 22-year-old woman and 27-year-old man from the Northern Territory on board and was turning right into Walker Street, and a four-wheel drive that was towing a caravan which was driven by a 50-year-old man from Townsville and was travelling behind the north-bound truck.
Acting Superintendent Algie said preliminary inquiries found the collision resulted from the 53-year-old failing to give way. “As a result of the crash, the 53-year-old male driving the vehicle turning right was pronounced dead at the scene,” he said.
Brisbane disaster victim identification police had been called to help identify the two men in the trucks. Acting Superintendent Algie said such a team usually “only comes to scenes like aeroplane crashes”. “I think that gives you a clearer picture of the scene that [first respondents] were confronted with, very distressing,” he said.
We are not ruling out that there could be more than three people dead as a result of this crash. It is too early to say. He said the people in the other two vehicles were taken to hospital with minor injuries but had since been released.
Those three people are lucky to be alive, he said. Acting Superintendent Algie said Friday night’s crash was “nothing short of a tragedy”. “The community will feel this deeply,” he said, referencing. He confirmed a key difference to that collision was the 53-year-old SUV driver was not operating a stolen vehicle on Friday night.
Authorities will conduct a toxicology report to determine if drugs and alcohol played a part in the crash. The Bruce Highway remained closed until at least Saturday afternoon, with diversions set up through Torbanlea. Police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash, or has dash-cam footage, to come forward.
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