Two die in horror highway crash
HORROR SMASH: A Granite Belt couple aged in their 70s died in a shocking single-vehicle rollover on the New England Hwy south of Clifton yesterday morning. The male driver died at the scene while his female passenger, initially trapped in the wreckage, died in hospital after a mammoth rescue mission.
AN ELDERLY couple from the Granite Belt, driving north on the New England Hwy, were killed when their car rolled about 50km south of Toowoomba yesterday.
The harrowing crash near the corner of Clarke Rd occurred about 8.30am.
The vehicle rolled several times, eventually coming to rest on the side of the major highway.
The male driver, aged in his early 70s, died at the scene.
His female passenger, also aged in her 70s, survived the initial crash and was cut free from the mangled wreck by emergency services.
Paramedics transported the woman to Toowoomba Hospital in a critical condition where she died a short time later.
Warwick Patrol Group Inspector Brian Cannon said it was a confronting scene for all first responders and emergency services, and the tragedy would hit home on the Granite Belt.
“All scenes are horrific, all fatalities are avoidable and this is a tragic event that will ripple through the family and will ripple through the community,” Insp. Cannon said.
“Our thoughts are certainly with people who are impacted by this - family, community, friends; the ripple effect is just ongoing.
“Road safety is paramount. You need to drive to the conditions; you need to drive in a safe way.”
The double fatality is the latest in a tragic series of road carnage in the Southern Downs this month.
Karara resident Alan Wickham, 86, was killed when the ute he was driving and a truck collided on the Cunningham Hwy in Cunningham last Thursday.
Mr Wickham died at the scene of the crash which occurred about 5.30pm.
Investigations into the crash are continuing and follow the death of a woman, 50, on August 12, on the Cunningham Hwy east of Warwick.
Insp. Cannon urged drivers to slow down and to be careful on the roads.
“I implore everyone who drives on our roads to travel in a safe, sensible manner that ensures we all get to where we’re going alive,” he said.