A significant crash involving a car and a crane truck has left a teenager with life-threatening injuries and temporarily closed the Bruce Highway.
Emergency services attended the scene of the crash, which was reported at Cooroy, near exit 230, at 6.45am.
Police officers closed the northbound lanes of the highway and firefighters cut the 17-year-old from his Subaru Forester wagon.
A Sunshine Coast-based LifeFlight rescue helicopter landed on the highway and a critical care doctor and flight paramedic worked with local paramedics to treat the patient for life-threatening head and chest injuries. He was intubated and flown to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a critical condition.
The driver of the Liebherr crane truck, a 30-year-old Tewantin man, was uninjured.
Both directions of the highway were closed for a brief time during the morning, before the southbound lanes, and then the northbound lanes, were reopened.
Nambour Forensic Crash Unit officer in charge Sergeant Sherryn Klump told Sunshine Coast News that witnesses said the car crashed into the back of the truck near the Cooroy exit, after a lengthy incline.
“The crane had slowed right down as it travelled up the hill and had just started to accelerate again as the road levelled,” she said.
“A number of witnesses have stated that the Subaru had overtaken a line of vehicles and then merged back into the left lane behind the slow-moving crane.
“It’s unknown if the driver of the Subaru was distracted or simply misjudged the speed of the crane, however, he was still travelling at about the speed that he had been overtaking at when he collided with the rear end of that crane.
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“The crane driver initially was unaware that a vehicle had collided with it.
“He felt a small anomaly and was pulling over to investigate that. It took him about 50m to come to a stop during which time the Subaru was snared on the back and being dragged along.”
She said the investigation was in the early stages and it was “too early to discuss possible charges”.
“Both vehicles will be mechanically inspected to ensure there are no defects or concerns that might have contributed,” she said.
“Other inquiries will look at possible distractions and intoxication as possible contributing factors.
“The crane driver was breath tested and drug tested at scene: no drugs or alcohol detected.”
The Sunshine Coast District Forensic Crash Unit is investigating and Sgt Klump said dashcam footage was being sought.
“If anyone travelling north on the Bruce Highway has any dashcam footage that might have captured the silver Subaru Forester prior to the impact, please contact police through Crime Stoppers,” she said.
