Mt Cotton woman dead after car crashes into Kolan River

A 51-year-old woman has died after her vehicle plunged off a bridge on the Bruce Highway north of Gin Gin, despite efforts by a passing motorist who managed to winch the car to the bank before emergency crews arrived.

A woman, from Mount Cotton in Redland, was driving a Mitsubishi Triton southbound on the Bruce Highway when it lost control and went off the side of the Kolan River Bridge at Kolonga, 50km north of Gin Gin.

A 51-year-old woman died after her ute drove off a bridge into the Kolan River on Sunday morning.

A Queensland Police service spokesman said the woman, from Mount Cotton in Redland, was driving a Mitsubishi Triton southbound on the Bruce Highway around 11.45am when it lost control and went off the side of the Kolan River Bridge at Kolonga, 50km north of Gin Gin.

Emergency services were able to reach the partially submerged vehicle by 4.45pm on Sunday afternoon and located the driver, who was declared deceased.

The woman was the only occupant of the vehicle.

The QPS Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the circumstances of the crash.

Police are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who has relevant CCTV or dashcam footage to come forward.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Service spokeswoman said the car hit a guardrail at the edge of the bridge and was fully submerged about 50m from the bridge in the northern side of the river.

A passing 4WD had managed to winch the car to the bank and partially out of the water as they waited for emergency crews to arrive, she said.

Three fire crews arrived around 12.30pm and swift water technicians were called out who completed a search of the water, but remained on standby with paramedics as police and fire and rescue personnel worked on removing the car.

If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting or call 131 444.