Man killed in crash on Shute Harbour Road at Cannon Valley, Whitsunday

Specialist police are investigating after a man died and another was critically injured in a horror multi-vehicle crash that closed a major Whitsundays road.

Diversions were put in place on Shute Harbor Road heading towards Cannonvale at the intersection of Shute Harbor Road and Gregory Cannon Valley Road. Picture: Ayeesha Hodges

A Whitsundays man has died and another has been flown to hospital with life threatening injuries after a “serious” head on crash in the Whitsundays involving at least three vehicles.

Police, paramedics, a rescue helicopter and firefighters were called to the multi-vehicle crash involving a truck, a ute and a motorhome on Shute Harbour Rd, Cannon Valley about 10.30am.

A QAS spokesman earlier said two people were on scene in a life-threatening condition with one of them initially trapped in one of the vehicles.

Tragically the driver of the ute, a 63-year-old Shute Harbour man who was the only occupant in the vehicle, died at the scene.

The ute was heading south when the crash occurred.

The BMA CQ Rescue chopper flew the driver of the small truck to Mackay Base Hospital where he remained in a critical condition.

Four other people, including two children, who had been travelling in the motorhome were taken to Proserpine Hospital in a stable condition.

Photo taken shortly after 11am. Picture: Krystal Hender

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating with police calling for anyone with relevant vision or further information to come forward.

Ayeesha Hodges, who took photos from the scene shortly after the crash, said she saw “the truck in the picture veer onto the other side of the road and collect the caravan”. “There was also a car involved but unsure if it was in-front of the truck or caravan.”

Emergency crews attend a multi-vehicle crash on Shute Harbour Road in Cannon Valley which left two people fighting for their life. July 28, 2025

A Queensland Fire Department spokesman said the trapped patient had been freed using the jaws of life and was in the hands of paramedics.

This crash comes barely a week after four lives were claimed in 12 hours on the district’s roads and brings the Mackay Whitsunday road toll to 12 lives lost in nine crashes.

A tribute has sprung up at the Glenella location where three Mackay 19-year-olds died in a car crash on Friday night. Picture: Fergus Gregg

On Saturday July 19 a 45-year-old man tragically died when the motorbike he was riding crashed into back of trailer on the Bruce Highway near the Mackay-Bucasia Rd intersection about 10.15am.

The night before three 19-year-old friends, Liam Doumergue, T-Jay Petrass and Eleanor Cunington were killed and four-vehicle collision on about 10.30pm on Mackay Ring Road.

They will be farewelled over two separate services being held this week.

The trio had been travelling in a green Mazda coming from tenpin bowling when it crashed head on into a Great Wall ute.

The Mazda had been in the process over overtaking a semi-trailer and had not seen the oncoming vehicle. The ute then struck the truck’s trailer before ending up on its roof. An Isuzu towing a caravan did not see the upside down ute and veered off the road down an embankment to avoid a collision.

Originally published as Man killed in crash on Shute Harbour Road at Cannon Valley, Whitsunday