Motorcyclist, 38, killed in horror crash which shut down highway at Ayr

A 38-year-old man has been killed and a woman injured after a shocking motorcycle crash, which temporarily shut down the Bruce Highway in both directions for hours overnight.

Queensland Ambulance Service was called to a serious motorcycle crash on the Bruce Highway at Ayr, south of Townsville. A 38-year-old man from Ayr died. FILE PHOTO

A 38-year-old man has been killed and a woman injured after a shocking motorcycle crash in Ayr, which temporarily shut down the Bruce Highway in both directions for hours overnight.

Police said that a blue Yamaha WR450F was travelling south along a footpath near the Bruce Highway before it crashed around 12.30am on Thursday.

The rider, an Ayr man, was declared deceased at the scene.

The passenger, a 34-year-old Ayr woman, was taken to Ayr Hospital in a stable condition with head, shoulder and leg injuries.

Witnesses, including anyone with relevant information or footage, are urged to contact police.

Earlier, Queensland Ambulance Service reported that paramedics treated two patients on the scene of the crash more than 80km south of Townsville.

Police advised the Bruce Highway was closed in both directions for about seven hours before it reopened shortly after 7.30am on Thursday.

The Forensic Crash Unit from Townsville has been investigating the crash.

It comes as police expressed concern over the number of serious motorcycle crash injuries and deaths.

In the first four months of this year, the RACQ reported there had been a 46.2 per cent increase in the rate of motorcycle deaths compared to the five year average with 31 motorcyclists killed out of 94 fatalities.

Up until Sunday, September 8, there had been 179 fatal crashes in Queensland resulting in 198 fatalities which is up 9 per cent on the five year average.

There have now been at least 53 motorcycle deaths which is up 20% on the five year average for this time of the year.

Sunshine Coast Highway Patrol Officer in Charge Senior Sergeant Shane Panoho this week said “motorcycle riders and their passengers make up around 27 per cent of lives lost on Queensland roads so far in 2024, a shocking statistic when motorcycles make up only around 5 per cent of vehicles registered on the road”.

“As vulnerable road users, research shows that they are 30 times more likely to be killed in a crash than car occupants.”

The RACQ estimated about 280,000 of its members rode motorcycle with men, who were more prone to taking risks, more likely to die.

Earlier this week, police released footage of a motorcyclist who was allegedly clocked at more than 120kmh in a 60kmh zone on a busy Sunshine Coast tourist strip.