Family’s highway horror

Teenage girl killed, relatives fight for life on return from holidays

A TEENAGE girl was killed and her relatives were last night fighting for life in separate hospitals after a horror multi-vehicle crash on the Warrego Highway yesterday.

The family travelling in a Subaru SUV had been headed west on the highway when it was involved in a collision with a loaded B-Double truck and utility about 9.15am.

The young girl was a rear passenger in the SUV, headed home after a family holiday.

The male driver of the SUV was airlifted to the Royal Brisbane Hospital in a critical condition from the scene while his female passenger was airlifted to Toowoomba Hospital.

Both were last night in serious conditions fighting for life.

Acting Inspector Matt Howard said the trio was from the same family and had been returning home from a holiday.

The male driver of the ute involved in the collision suffered lesser injuries and was taken to Toowoomba Hospital with a broken arm.

Initial investigations indicated the ute had been travelling east on the Warrego Highway and about to turn right into Brimblecombe Rd when the collision occurred.

The male truck driver was not physically injured.

The Warrego Highway was closed to all traffic, reopening about 3.30pm.

Acting Inspector Howard said it was a tragedy for all involved.

“The tragic news (is) they were travelling home from holidays,” he said.

“It’s tragic that anyone needs to see this accident, especially emergency services who were first on the scene.

“I want to thank them for their efforts in this.”

It is the second fatality in the region in less than 24 hours after a man, 19, died when his car hit a tree off the D’Aguilar Highway at Nanango just before midnight on Monday.

In a separate crash, a grassfire was believed to have caused a two-vehicle crash about 20km west of Dalby on the Warrego Highway just after 1pm yesterday.

Two people were taken to Dalby Hospital in stable conditions with minor injuries from the crash which closed the highway for about 30 minutes.

Photo: Bev Lacey TRAGEDY: Emergency services at the scene of a fatal crash involving a B-double truck and two cars on the Warrego Highway at the intersection of Brimblecombe Rd near Oakey yesterday.