Bruce Highway fatal crash: Road near Koumala engulfed in flames after car and truck collide

A man has been killed and another is in hospital after a horrifying collision between a truck and a ute cast an inferno across the Bruce Highway south of Mackay. Watch what was left. WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT

Heavy smoke and barely recognisable remnants of a ute and truck littered the Bruce Highway after a horrifying crash took the life of a Mackay man overnight.

The man, 50, was driving a ute just north of Koumala when he and the truck collided near Loloma Rd shortly before 10pm Friday.

The driver of the truck, a 58-year-old Walkerston man, is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Mackay Base Hospital.

Police, paramedics and fire emergency services were called to the scene, with both vehicles on fire and flames spreading to either side of the road.

The wreckage of a the truck cab in the crash on the Bruce Highway north of Koumala that took the life of a Mackay man on February 4, 2022. Picture: Lillian Watkins

A witness, who said she was the second car to arrive at the crash, described panicked scenes but the truck driver was out of the vehicle.

“When we got there, both the car and truck were in flames,” she said, sending a photo depicting fully engulfed vehicles.

It is the second fatal in the Mackay region this week after Clermont’s Tam Dixon Frewin, 44, died in a head-on collision on the Peak Downs Highway on Wednesday.

Emergency services are at a multi-vehicle crash on the Bruce Highway north of Koumala, near Loloma Road.

Mackay Forensic Crash Unit Investigator Senior Constable Michael Parker said initial investigations suggested a 50-year-old Mackay man was driving a ute northbound when it crossed lanes and into the path of the southbound truck.

The trailer of the truck was seen about 100 metres from the cab and appeared relatively unscathed. Picture: Lillian Watkins

“The ute driver has sadly died at the scene as a result of the crash,” he said.

“The truck driver is still in a serious condition, and is being treated at Mackay Base Hospital.

“It looks to be instantaneous, but the investigations are still in their preliminary stages.”

The 58-year-old Walkerston truck driver, whose vehicle was carrying produce, was out of the truck when firefighters arrived.

The truck left the road after disconnecting from its trailers, and incinerated in nearby canefields.

Local farmers and rural firefighters helped extinguish the blaze.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said the truck driver was being treated for external head injuries at Mackay Base Hospital.

Firefighters reported they put out the flames on the prime mover just before midnight but continued to dampen down the semi-trailer into the night.

There were no other passengers.

Traffic is banked up on the Bruce Highway after a horrific crash between a ute and a truck north of Koumala. Picture: Lillian Watkins

Diesel, oil and other motor fluids spilt onto the road, covering a 100m stretch that had to be cleaned up and foam put down before traffic could return to the road.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said all emergency services were at the scene.

Emergency services have been on the scene of the crash for hours. Picture: Lillian Watkins

He said there were three urban pumps, two rural trucks and a senior officer on site for QFES.

The spokesman said a ute and a truck were on either side of the road when firefighters arrived.

Debris from the crash littered the highway. Picture: Lillian Watkins

He said crews had to extinguish both vehicles, initially fearing the truck fire might spread to a nearby cane field.

A resultant scrub fire was also put out.

Police Scenes of Crime and Forensic Crash Unit police officers are investigating.

Both directions of travel on the Bruce Highway were closed as the scene was made safe.

One lane opened about 2.30am, allowing some traffic to begin moving.

The Forensic Crash Unit is appealing for any witnesses or motorists with relevant dash cam footage.