Speed limit too high at Glenore Grove crash scene: residents

THE visible signs are gone but the mental signs of a horrific road accident overnight on the Warrego Hwy will haunt those involved for the rest of their lives

There was little evidence of last night's crash at the junction of Warrego Hwy and Forest Hill - Fernvale road this morning. Picture: Derek Barry

THE visible signs are gone but the mental signs of a horrific road accident overnight on the Warrego Highway will haunt those involved for the rest of their lives, an accident some say was inevitable.

It was just an ordinary Wednesday evening for the small community near the Glenore Grove crossing going about their normal routines for the night.

But normality was destroyed in an instance by a loud bang on the crossroads, the junction where the Warrego Hwy is intersected by the Forest Hill - Fernvale Road.

A truck had collided with a Nissan Pulsar sedan and all three occupants of the smaller vehicle were dead.

The 38-year-old female driver of the sedan and her two sons, aged 9 and 13, were declared deceased at the scene.

The driver of the semi-trailer, a 55-year-old man, was not physically injured.

Police said the sedan was stationary on the side of the highway, and was returning to the roadway when it collided with a semi-trailer.

Laidley officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Jim McDonald said the vehicle was engulfed by 1.5 metre flames and little could be done to save the occupants.

One witness said the car was stopped in the shoulder of the Brisbane bound lane of the highway.

The car then pulled out into the junction either to turn right towards Forest Hill or do a u-turn.

But it never made it that far.

The truck was also driving east from the Toowoomba direction and slammed into the vehicle.

Authorities said the three people in the car were found dead at the scene.

The witness the Gatton Star spoke to said the victims had no chance.

"We rushed over there but there was nothing we could do," she said.

"They were all dead."

The witness said the scene was devastating.

"What I'll never forget is the constant sound of the car horn," she said.

She said it was an accident waiting to happen since the flood works at the road were fixed a month ago and the road was re-opened to four lanes.

"Since they finished the roadworks it is 100kph speed limit at the junction coming from Toowoomba that means they are driving at 110 and 120," she said.

"There's always screeching of brakes around here - it should be an 80kph limit."

The witness said they were sick of complaining about the junction.

"They say it doesn't have enough traffic to justify an overpass," she said.

"How many more deaths will it take for them to do something?"

Police have not yet released the names of the victims and the Forensic Crash Unit was investigating.

Originally published as Speed limit too high at Glenore Grove crash scene: residents