Woman killed, another critical in Bruce Highway crash at Inkerman

Locals have described the Bruce Highway stretch where a woman died and another was critically injured as ‘scary’ with calls for greater separation between traffic on the stretch. LATEST

Emergency crews are on scene at a serious crash on the Bruce Hwy at Inkerman. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

Police have confirmed a 70-year-old Whitsundays woman has tragically died in a traffic crash between Bowen and Ayr.

Emergency services were called to a head on collision between a white Hyundai i30 and a back Honda HR-V about 1.20pm, about 10km south of Home Hill.

Sergeant Sam Pyke, from Home Hill police station, said the 70-year-old Gumlu woman who was driving the Hyundai was headed south when the collision occurred.

She tragically died of her injuries at the scene.

A 61-year-old Ayr woman, who was driving the other car, has been flown to Townsville University Hospital by GQAir in a critical condition.

Emergency crews are on scene at a serious crash on the Bruce Hwy at Inkerman. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

Sergeant Pyke said both women were headed home when the tragedy occurred.

The Townsville Forensic Crash Unit was still investigations at the scene late this evening.

As of yet it is unknown why the collision occurred and officers are urging anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage and has not already provided their details to police to come forward.

At the scene, several trucks were lined up behind the damaged cars.

Sergeant Pyke said those trucks had been unable to turn because of the size of their vehicles and the width of the road not permitting the manoeuvre.

They will have to wait for investigations to end and for the road to be cleared up before they can be moved. Diversions are currently in place.

The highway crash occurred close to the Inkerman Motel, 10km south of Home Hill. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

Sergeant Pyke said the Bruce Highway was still closed at the intersection with Daniel Rd, with cars being diverted for a distance of about three kilometres.

He said the road would not reopen for several hours.

‘NOT THE FIRST TIME’

Inkerman resident Allan Finn was home when the crash occurred and he said he heard the sirens going off just after 1pm.

His wife Leonie and their granddaughter Sevanna had been in town at the racecourse in the afternoon.

Mrs Finn said this was not the first tragic incident that occurred right on their doorstep, with another serious crash happening in February this year.

Inkerman resident Leonie Finn and her granddaughter Sevanna Finn. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

“It’s scary,” she said.

“You go out on that road and you have to have your wits about yourself.”

Mrs Finn said their granddaughter Sevanna was now learning how to drive and hearing about crashes like this made them fearful.

Mr Finn did not want to comment further on what he saw when he went out to the scene but said a lot needed to be done to improve the road.

As a retired paramedic, he said he had seen too many crashes like this.

“One of the saddest thing you can come across is an incident like that,” he said.

“If there were two different lanes on each side of the road, it would be a lot safer.”

Another neighbour who lived further down the road, Christine Linton said she was home having lunch with her husband when the collision occurred.

She said she had not heard anything when the crash happened but had become aware of the incident when she heard sirens.

Ms Linton said it was particularly sad to hear the women involved had been locals.

Fatal crashes on the problem-plagued Bruce Highway have soared by more than 60 per cent since 2019 and almost 5000 people were injured along the lethal stretch over five years.

Data from Transport and Main Roads, shows 31 people were killed in 29 crashes along the Bruce Highway last year – an increase of nine deaths since 2019.

Those lives lost make up about 11 per cent of all road fatalities in the state.

In the last five years, a shocking 17 people have died along the stretch of highway near Townsville – making it the most deadly area in Queensland.

The Courier Mail together with regional mastheads have launched a major ‘Help Our Highway’ campaign calling for major upgrades.

Originally published as Woman killed, another critical in Bruce Highway crash at Inkerman