IPSWICH TRAGEDY :Four killed in fiery crash on Ipswich Motorway at Redbank community mourns…
Four people, including a two-year-old girl, have been killed in a fiery crash on the Ipswich Motorway, west of Brisbane overnight.
Key points:
Early investigations are looking into how long the driver of the blue sedan was on the wrong side of the road
The sedan collided head-on with a four-wheel drive carrying two adults and a two-year-old
Police are appealing for anyone who saw the sedan in the area before the crash to come forward
Police said early investigations suggested a dark blue 2016 Ford Focus sedan was travelling the wrong way in the westbound lane at Redbank just after 11:00pm.
The car collided head-on with a dark-coloured four-wheel-drive before both vehicles caught fire.
The four-wheel drive was carrying a 39-year-old man, a 37-year-old woman and a two-year-old girl, who lived in the Darling Downs region.
All three died at the scene.
The driver and sole occupant of the sedan — 34-year-old Calvin Clack from Curra, near Gympie — was also pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said it was not clear where the sedan entered the motorway, but it may have been travelling in the wrong direction on the Cunningham Highway before the crash.
Acting Inspector Darren Green said it was an extremely tragic set of circumstances.
“It was extremely graphic, very confronting for the emergency service crews,” he said.
“The male driver of the sedan was ejected from the vehicle some distance [and] the occupants of the SUV were unable to exit the vehicle and were located after the fire was extinguished.”
Appeal for witnesses to the crash
Acting Inspector Green said early investigations were looking into how long the driver of the sedan was on the wrong side of the road and if alcohol and drugs were in the systems of either drivers.
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“We have received some reports of several witnesses observing the car on the wrong side of the motorway prior to the crash — exactly how long it was on the wrong side of the motorway we don’t know at this time,” he said.
“We’re backtracking CCTV and making those enquiries.”
Police are appealing for anyone who saw the blue sedan in the area before the crash to come forward.
“We are actively encouraging for anyone in the community who observed either of these vehicles or have dashcam footage to please come forward,” he said.
