Bruce Highway closed in Proserpine crash

A 74-year-old man has died in a ‘catastrophic’ Bruce Highway crash in the Whitsundays, marking the fifth fatality in the region since July. Warning: Disturbing content

Police have described the crash that killed a 74-year-old Whitsundays man overnight as “catastrophic” and “chaotic” with first responders who were on scene in need of counselling.

Detective Inspector Emma Novosel said the Strathdickie man was driving his red Holden ute north along the Bruce Highway about 8.30pm Thursday when his vehicle veered into a truck with a semi-trailer in the opposite lane near the Glen Isla Rd turn-off.

Det Insp Novosel said witnesses indicated that both drivers had applied their brakes “and tried to take evasive action” but the impact was “horrific”.

The 74-year-old married man, who had been driving home alone, died at the scene with the highway shut for hours as about a dozen police officers and firefighters worked to remove his body.

Emergency services at the scene of a fatal crash involving a ute and a truck on the Bruce Highway at Proserpine.

The front end of the ute was extensively damaged with vehicle parts strewn across the road, with police preventing traffic from approaching within about 500m of the scene.

“Early inquiries indicate that fatigue and or distraction may have been a contributing factor to the crash,” Det Insp Novosel said.

“I imagine he (the truck driver) is quite traumatised.

“I understand that the scene was fairly chaotic, the impact was significant so it would have been confronting for any witnesses that were on scene as first responders who attended to assist.”

Detective Inspector Emma Novosel. Picture: Heidi Petith

Det Insp Novosel said those witnesses included drivers who had been following behind the ute.

“If a member of the public witnesses a crash like this, I’d encourage them if they think that they need support to reach out to their local GP or local support agencies,” she said.

“Obviously witnessing an event like this is traumatic and it’s not something that I guess we’re built to do, so if people need that support they should definitely seek it.”

Emergency services at the scene of a fatal crash involving a ute and a truck on the Bruce Highway at Proserpine.

BANG LOUD ENOUGH TO HEAR FOUR BLOCKS AWAY

Proserpine resident Nadia Federuzzi, 30, who lives nexton Gardenia St, which runs parallel to the Bruce Highway, said she was cooking when she heard a big bang.

“It was loud enough for people to hear from Marathon St,” Ms Federuzzi said.

Marathon St is more than four blocks away from the highway.

“Services were amazing at helping that man get free from the wreckage even though he was deceased,” Ms Federuzzi posted to myPolice Mackay Whitsunday’s Facebook page.

“You guys did an amazing job for what you had to see.”

Det Insp Novosel said emergency service personnel who were on scene were now being offered follow-up support, with the fatal marking the fifth road fatality in the Mackay Whitsundays region since July 1.

“It’s the tenth fatal crash we’ve had since the start of the year,” she said.

On July 11, two Townsville men had been travelling along Peter Delemothe Rd towards Collinsville from Bowen when their LandCruiser ute collided with a coal train, which dragged their vehicle about 600m down the tracks.

A man has died and another man is critically injured following a crash between a Toyota LandCruiser and an Aurizon coal train on Peter Delemothe Rd, west of Bowen, on July 11. Picture: Heidi Petith and Estelle Sanchez

The ute’s passenger, 50-year-old Bentley Parsgaard, died at the scene.

Earlier on the same day, 47-year-old Proserpine man Gavin Hussey died in a head-on-collision with a cement truck on Shute Harbour Rd near Myrtle Creek.

Gavin Hussey had been driving a Mitsubishi Lancer when it collided with a cement truck at a bend in the roadway on Shute Harbour Rd near Myrtle Creek.

“Obviously, if I can send a message to drivers and the community, that if you’re going to drive on our roads, don’t drive tired, don’t drive when you’re distracted,” Det Insp Novosel said.

“You need to be 100 per cent committed to the road and your own safety and to the safety of other road users.

“This is a tragic set of circumstances and … it’s upsetting to have to be standing here again in such a short amount of time talking about the loss of a life and thinking about the families and friends and communities who are grieving over the loss of this man.”

The driver of the truck was not physically injured and declined transport to hospital.

Forensic Crash Unit investigations are continuing.