Police reveal identities of tourists who died in fatal Bruce Hwy crash
Police have confirmed the identities of three tourists, two of whom died, after being involved in a fatal road crash near Innisfail on Friday, while one remains in a serious condition.
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The identities of two victims who died in a fatal car crash near Innisfail on Friday have been revealed by police.
A 64-year-old overseas man and a 60-year-old interstate woman were declared deceased on scene after a head-on collision at Goondi Bend, a Queensland Police Service spokesman has confirmed.
It is understood the man, 64, was the driver of the Toyota Corolla.
“An occupant of the other vehicle, a Ford Ranger, was a 60-year-old female passenger, who was declared deceased,” the spokesman said.
“The 61-year-old male driver was transported to Cairns Base Hospital, where he’s still undergoing treatment.”
Both occupants from the Ranger are from interstate.
A Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service spokesman confirmed the 61-year-old was in a serious but stable condition.
On Friday, an Innisfail resident living a stone’s throw from the scene of a head-on crash that claimed the lives of two, described hearing a sound like a bomb going off at the time of the collision.
Two people have been declared dead by police at the scene of a head-on crash outside Innisfail at Goondi Bend.
Another person was flown to Cairns Hospital via the Rescue 510 Helicopter.
Police stated initial information indicated two vehicles collided on the Bruce Highway in a high impact head-on crash just after 11:30am at Fitzgerald Creek.
#Update - One patient with life-threatening injuries was airlifted to Cairns Hospital after a serious two-vehicle crash at #FitzgeraldCreek.
— Queensland Ambulance (@QldAmbulance) August 9, 2024
Cassowary Coast Patrol Group Inspector Nathan Blain from the crash site said the ages and genders of the two people killed couldn’t be revealed until the next of kin had been notified.
“It’s a tragic crash that’s occurred here, two people have lost their lives, families are going to be devastated and destroyed and we are looking at all causes of the crash, including distraction,” he said.
A four-wheel-drive utility and white hatchback have been identified as the two vehicles involved in the crash.
Police gave no indication of when the highway would be fully open but it’s hoped an alternate route for heavy vehicles would soon be in place.
“Two people have died and we have the Forensic Crash investigators on the scene and they will be conducting their investigation and we will get the highway as soon as possible, I envisage it will be a couple of hours, Inspector Blain said.
“Tragically we do see fatal crashes on the Bruce Highway, it comes back to driver behaviour and the majority of these accidents can be avoided by driver behaviour and I implore everybody that is using the road to make sure they are doing the right thing, have plenty of rest and obey the road rules.”
The crash 4kms northwest of Innisfail happened on a sweeping bend between Blundell and Victory Creek roads.
Police have warned diversions are in place around the crash site for small vehicles however motorists are urged to avoid the area or expect lengthy delays.
A resident who lives about 300m north from the site of the crash, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was struggling to believe the sound she heard at the time of the crash.
“It sounded like a bomb going off, and then there were the ripples,” she said.
“If you had asked me if the sound of two cars colliding or was it like a gas tank exploding, I would’ve guessed it was the explosion.”
The resident said she hadn’t worked the courage to “go for a look” but was perplexed by the location.
“It’s not really any area of low visibility,” she said.
The 510 Rescue Helicopter at about 12.30pm landed on the Bruce Highway and took a third motorist to Cairns Hospital who was suffering from life-threatening injuries.
The Bruce Highway through Fitzgerald Creek remains partially closed in both directions.
The latest two deaths brings the annual Far North road toll to 16.
Meanwhile the Gillies Range Road was closed in both directions at 3.42pm after a crash about 5km from the bottom of the range.
An update from the Department of Transport and Main Roads at 4.12pm stated one lane of the Gillies Range Road had reopened after a car crashed and flipped onto its roo and at 5.17pm both lanes of the road had reopened.
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