Teen in coma, four seriously hurt, in hinterland smash

One 16-year-old boy is in a coma and four 14-year-olds injured – two critically – after a horrific crash this morning in which their vehicle rolled over after swerving to avoid a rubbish truck. SEE THE VIDEO

WITNESSES say a car carrying five teenagers, that were seriously injured in an accident at Tamborine Mountain this morning, had swerved to avoid arubbish truck before crashing.

The 16-year-old driver of the car suffered significant head injuries and is in the Gold Coast University Hospital in an induced coma following the horror smash, which also injured his four 14-year-old passengers, two of them critically.

The aftermath of the accident. Picture: 7 News

It is understood the car, which was travelling east on Beacon Rd, had swerved to avoid a rubbish truck which had been doing collections in the area at the time.

Multiple witnesses reported hearing several loud bangs as the car veered to the wrong side of the road, smashing into rubbish bins and flipping.

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said four of the boys are from Upper Coomera, and one from Ormeau.

Emergency services working at the scene in aftermath of the accident.

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Local resident Harry Maguire was among the residents who rushed out onto the street.

He said it was miraculous the car didn’t hit anyone else as swimmers lined up for the local swimming pool to open just metres from where the car landed.

“It was so close...there was a lot of pedestrians walking their dogs, and cyclists,” he said.

“There was a really loud screeching noise, you could hear them slam the brakes on, then they landed towards the pool,” he said.

One of the seriously injured teenagers being loaded into the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter at the scene. Picture: RACQ LifeFlight Rescue

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“You could hear the bins being smashed, the fence was smashed apart and then just a really loud bang which woke everyone up.

“It was messy.

“There was people yelling, people coming out of their houses, dogs going off.”

Police investigators at the scene of the accident this afternoon. Picture: Adam Head

Mr Maguire said the very straight road was a “hot spot” for drivers.

Several people told the Bulletin the car was so mangled it was hard to identify the type of vehicle.

Two of the boys injured had to be cut from the back of the car by firefighters and were airlifted from a nearby oval to the Queensland Children’s Hospital with serious head, chest and limb injuries.

The third boy seated in the back of the vehicle suffered minor injuries and was transported to Gold Coast University Hospital.

The 14-year-old boy in the front of the car had a minor shoulder injury and was also transported to Gold Coast University Hospital.

A large number of emergency services crews attended to help the injured boys. Picture: RACQ LifeFlight Rescue

Gold Coast Acting Senior Operations Supervisor for the Queensland Ambulance Service, William Houghton, said it was a “traumatic” scene for first responders.

“I believe it was a significant impact to the car,” he said.

“Obviously it was a bit traumatic with the ages of the occupants, there was eight ambulance units on scene.”

The police Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the cause of the accident.

Officers reopened the road to traffic around 12.30pm while council workers continue to clean the area with street sweepers.

Teenagers around the same age as the boys involved in the crash mulled around the scene on bikes assessing the clean-up.

“It could have easily been one of my mates,” one told the Bulletin as he watched on.