Man dies in horror crash on Gore Highway

A horror collision involving a semi-trailer truck and two vehicles has left one young man dead and another in hospital this morning near Toowoomba. See the details here.

Police have appealed for witnesses after a young man died in an early morning crash.

The 21-year-old Newtown man was killed when he was stuck by a utility on the Gore Highway at Pittsworth shortly after 6.20am on Thursday.

Only a few moments earlier, the young man’s Pajero had collided with a semi-trailer at the intersection with Broxburn Road and he had exited the vehicle.

According to the police report, he was then struck by a third vehicle, another utility, and died at the scene.

A man died after a crash involving a semi-trailer and two vehicles on the Gore Highway at Pittsworth shortly after 6.20am, June 16, 2022.

The truck driver, a 54-year-old man, was not physically injured while the driver of the utility, a 55-year-old man, was transported to St Vincent’s Private Hospital for assessment.

Traffic diversions along Oakey-Pittsworth Road and Biddeston-Linthorpe Road were in place through much of the morning as forensic officers started to assess the scene.

The man’s death is the latest in a series of fatalities that have put 2022 on track to be one of the deadliest years on our roads in recent times.

The 21-year-old Newtown man died after he was hit by a passing vehicle.

Since the start of the year, 32 people have died in the Queensland Police Service Southern Region, which takes in the Darling Downs, Southwest Queensland and Ipswich.

That is 15 people more than at the same time last year and 13 more than in 2020.

Young people are disproportionately represented in the figures, with about 29 per cent of crashes claiming the life of someone aged 16-24.

Drink driving and speed are the top killers, with alcohol or drugs a factor in about 41 per cent of those fatal crashes and speed a factor in 34 per cent.

The deceased man’s vehicle appears to have first hit the side of a truck.

The crash occurred just a week and a half out from the June-July school holiday period which is historically when there is a spike in road deaths.

The region’s police are expected to saturate our roads with high-visibility patrols, random breath tests and speed traps.

The Queensland Police Service Forensic Crash Unit has just started its investigation into the tragedy and has appealed for witnesses to come forward.

This includes anyone with dashcam footage of the moments leading up to the crash.