Photo: Qld Police/stock
Not even a week after the Qld Government revealed the state’s fatal road toll had reached its highest level in a decade, four more deaths were recorded on the roads.
The Qld Police’s Forensic Crash Unit is investigating a fatal motorbike crash at Mossman on Saturday, December 28.
Qld Police say that about 2.30pm, a motorbike travelling along Johnston Road struck a vehicle it was following.
The rider, a 35-year-old man, sustained critical injuries and was subsequently declared dead at the scene.
The other driver was not physically injured and is helping police.
That same day, forensic investigators are looking into a fatal crash on the Bruce Highway at Kuttabul.
Police say that at about 2.35pm, a Toyota Hilux utility headed northbound struck a southbound Chevrolet Silverado towing a caravan then crashed with a southbound Toyota Kluger.
The driver of the Kluger, a 76-year-old East Mackay man, sustained critical injuries and died on the scene.
The passenger of the Kluger, a 68-year-old East Mackay woman, was taken to Mackay Base Hospital in critical condition.
The Hilux driver, a 65-year-old Bloomsbury man, was also taken to the Mackay hospital in a stable condition.
The occupants of the Silverado sustained no physical injuries.
Meanwhile, on Christmas Day in Logan, south-east Qld, two vehicles crashed at an intersection just after 4pm.
An 83-year-old man was airlifted to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition but later died.
Meanwhile, an 83-year-old Tarragindi man, injured in a two-vehicle crash in Cedar Grove on Wednesday, December 25, died in hospital.
Police say that about 4.10pm on Wednesday, December 25, a Toyota Camry and a Hilux crashed at the intersection of Bamboo Drive and Mount Lindesay Highway.
The Camry driver, the 83-year-old man, was flown to Princess Alexandra Hospital but died on Thursday, December 26.
No one else was seriously injured. Investigations are continuing.
His death brings Queensland’s road toll to 302 compared to 296 in 2022, the highest level in 10 years, the government says.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services Dan Purdie said the unfortunate milestone was a stark reminder that police alone cannot reduce the state’s road toll.
“No words can describe the trauma experienced by families, friends and communities who lost loved ones in road crashes, and my heart goes out to all those in mourning, particularly so close to Christmas,” Purdie said.
“The sad reality is that most of these crashes involved at least one of the ‘Fatal Five’ behaviours – speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, driving while fatigue and driver distraction and inattention.
“We all have to do our part to ensure safety on our roads. Christmas and the New Year should be remembered as a time of happiness and joy,” the minister said.
“They should not be remembered as a time when the selfishness or inattention of others drove a fatal wedge through the hearts of so many families.”
Learn more about staying safe on Queensland roads: https://www.police.qld.gov.au/initiatives/fatal-five-staying-safe-roads
