TWO LIVES IN 24 HOURS
COMMUNITY REELING FROM TRAGIC TIME ON OUR ROADS
THE Townsville community has lost two lives in a horror day on the region’s roads.
On Tuesday night a 20year-old woman was killed when the car she was driving had a head-on collision with a truck north of Townsville.
Then, just as police were piecing together the evidence on the cause of the smash, a cyclist died in a collision with a truck near Domain Central. Police confirmed the man was trying to cross Duckworth St at about 1.20pm yesterday when he reportedly misjudged the traffic and hit the trailer of a truck.
Injuries made identification hard with investigators running a fingerprint analysis to try to determine who the dead man was.
A CYCLIST has been killed after colliding with the trailer of a truck in a tragic incident in Townsville, with police urging road users to take care after another road death hours earlier.
Townsville Police confirmed a man was trying to cross Duckworth St, near Domain Central, about 1.20pm yesterday when he reportedly misjudged the traffic and hit the trailer of a truck.
Eastern Patrol Group Inspector Glenn Doyle said the truck driver was initially unaware of what had happened and kept driving.
“The driver realised he was involved in the incident about 30 minutes after police put out a broadcast,” Insp Doyle said.
“The truck driver is co-operating with police.”
Insp Doyle said there was no suggestion he had done anything wrong.
“The impact itself would have been very slight for the truck,” he said.
“It’s extremely sad it’s resulted in the death of this person.”
Injuries to the victim’s body made identification hard for police with investigators running a fingerprint analysis to try to determine who the dead man was.
Traffic was congested around the intersection of Duckworth St and Stock Route Way for many hours.
Insp Doyle said it had been a horrible 24 hours on Townsville’s roads, with a 20-yearold woman killed in a truck collision on Tuesday night.
He encouraged all road users to take care.
“No doubt it has been a horrific 24 hours on the roads … the message from emergency services and police is … just take care,” Insp Doyle said.
“We are not suggesting anybody has done the wrong thing, but as road users it’s paramount we take as much care as possible.”
Emergency crews stayed at the scene for hours yesterday with the mangled bike lying on the road near the body.
The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.
The number of cyclists admitted to Townsville University Hospital has more than doubled since last year.
From January 1 to March 30, 18 cyclists were admitted after incidents on the region’s roads, and nine for off-road incidents. In the same period of 2019, there were eight admissions, nine in 2017, 16 in 2016 and 18 in 2015.
The latest crash comes after five riders were mowed down on Dalrymple Rd in February.
A TOWNSVILLE family is mourning the death of a young woman who was killed in a horror crash on a notorious stretch of road.
The 20-year-old woman was travelling north on the Bruce Highway when her small car and a semi-trailer collided at Black River on Tuesday night.
Shocking photographs from the scene show the crumpled sedan on the side of the Bruce Highway, doors ajar and bonnet completely destroyed. The truck, a Followmount Transport vehicle, left a 60m skid mark in the southbound lanes of the highway.
Forensic Crash Unit investigators marked out the scene with cones and orange paint as they scoured the area after the collision about 8.40pm.
Both lanes of the highway were closed for several hours.
The Brisbane woman, believed to have recently returned to Townsville, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the truck driver was assessed for minor injuries and taken to Townsville University Hospital.
The dead woman was the sole occupant in her vehicle.
Her family is reportedly from Townsville.
Police were reviewing highway CCTV and dashcam footage from the truck to piece together the final moments before the crash.
The woman is the fourth person to be killed on the stretch of highway at Black River in 10 months.
Townsville Easter Patrol Group Inspector Glenn Doyle said no charges had been laid over the crash.