11 patients were treated after a crash on Smithfield bypass between a ute and a minibus

Cairns Hospital gives update on patients who were being treated after a ute and minibus collided in Smithfield last week leaving 11 passengers injured.

UPDATE MONDAY 20 JUNE: FOUR PATIENTS remain in hospital while others were discharged after a crash in Smithfield left 11 people with injuries.

A Cairns Hinterland and Health Services spokesperson said of the 11 patients who were being treated at Cairns Hospital, seven have been discharged.

Now, only four patients currently remain in stable condition— a 62-year-old man, a 66-year-old man, 60-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman.

A Queensland Police spokesperson said the crash was still under investigation.

UPDATE THURSDAY 16 JUNE: THE owner of the bus company whose minibus was involved in a horror crash with a ute has spoken after the crash caused a major road to close for five hours.

Exemplar Coaches and Limousines owner Gordon Wellham said he was heartbroken to learn nine people required medical attention after the bus crashed with a dual-cab ute.

“Our sympathies go out to everyone, our heartfelt condolences, it’s not a very pleasant circumstance. We are trying to do everything we can,” he said.

“My wife is in hospital as we speak, she is tracking down our passengers in particular, to offer support, and sympathy.”

Mr Wellham said in his 29 years owning the business, there had not been an incident like it.

“We had seven passengers on our vehicle headed to Port Douglas,” he said.

“We’ve been in contact with the receiving accommodation partners, they themselves haven’t heard from the guests.”

Mr Wellham said his bus driver was OK.

“We spoke to him at the time of the accident and he said he was fine but he’s in surgery now with some leg injuries,” he said.

“He’s in good spirits but not very happy about the circumstances.

“He’s an excellent driver and he has a good safety record like the company has.

“We think we have done everything we can. I don’t think there’s any other measures we could have taken.”

Mr Wellham said he had been in regular contact with the hospital and had spoken to police.

“We are all working on this together,” he said.

“It’s the uncertainty that’s hard.”

Nearby cafe Sappori Antichi Italiani’s owner Daniela Ferrigno said the road needed more safety features.

“We have always thought that the two lanes going up and down without any separation in the middle can be a little confusing,” she said.

“That is really dangerous.

“In my opinion they should have material separation for the two lines.

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“Someone can easily be distracted and go into the other lane.”

Ms Ferrigno said there was another element to the bypass that needed work.

“When you come from the northern beaches if you realise you aren’t in the right lane you can’t turn. You have to go all the way up the bypass,” she said.

“It could cause an accident.”

Ms Ferrigno said she did not hear the crash even though her cafe was nearby.

“This morning was extremely quiet, and our supplier came in really late and asked what was happening.”

“Then we realised that’s why it was quiet.

UPDATE WEDNESDAY 15 JUNE: HEALTH authorities have advised nine patients are being treated at Cairns Hospital after a crash on the bypass caused a distressing scene around 10.40am.

A Cairns Hinterland and Health Services spokesperson said there was one 62-year-old man in a critical condition and a 66-year-old man in a serious condition.

A 46-year-old woman and a 39-year-old male are also in a serious but stable condition.

Five others are in a stable condition including a 70-year-old woman, a 66-year-old woman, 60-year-old man, 59-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man.

A police spokesman said the Smithfield Bypass reopened about 3.30pm after it had been advised it may remain closed until 5pm.

He said the cause of the incident was currently unknown but investigations were ongoing.

EARLIER: A QUEENSLAND Ambulance spokeswoman said emergency services were still unravelling the scene of a vehicle and minibus crash on the Smithfield bypass which occurred about 10.40am.

She said crews on-scene were in the process of transporting patients to Cairns Hospital, with four deemed as serious while the remaining patients were stable.

The spokeswoman said initially one patient was entrapped in the bus, with crews extracting that patient about 12pm.

#Smithfield - 9 patients involved in a crash on the Smithfield Bypass this morning are currently being assessed in Cairns Hospital's ED.

— Cairns HHS (@CairnsHHS) June 15, 2022

A Cairns police senior constable Martin Shephard said the road was likely to remain closed until 5pm while the forensic crash unit investigated the incident.

“So we’re asking all drivers to divert away and use the old routes instead of the bypass,” he said.

“We’re also asking for drivers that were in the vicinity or any witnesses that have seen the crash to contact police.

“It’s very unclear what’s occurred, and our forensic crash unit will be investigating to the cause of this crash.”

EARLIER: MULTIPLE emergency services have been called to the scene of a reported minibus and vehicle crash at the Smithfield bypass southbound on ramp near McGregor Rd.

At 11.15am, police reported the bypass was closed to all traffic in both directions meaning motorists would be diverted to the Captain Cook Hwy.

A Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said multiple paramedics were on site after receiving the call about 10.40am assessing multiple patients, with initial reports suggesting “they were all OK.”

However a short time later, police reported there to be 12 patients in total, with at least four in critical condition with fire and emergency services extracting a patient trapped in the bus.

A Queensland Police spokesman said the incident involved a 20-seater minibus and a vehicle.

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Originally published as 11 patients were treated after a crash on Smithfield bypass between a ute and a minibus