A multi-vehicle crash in a tunnel west of Brisbane left two more people dead, one undergoing critical surgery in hospital and a fourth seriously injured.
On Wednesday afternoon, traffic came to a halt on Legacy Way, which connects the downtown suburbs of Toowong and Kelvin Grove, after three cars collided shortly after 3 p. m.
The crash took place between a black Audi S3, a silver sedan and a small truck in the eastbound lanes of the Paddington two-lane tunnel, prompting a primary emergency operation.
Paramedics responded to the scene and evaluated several critically ill patients at the scene before taking the driver of the truck and the driver of the silver sedan to the hospital.
“Two patients have been transported to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, one in critical condition and in solid condition, following a multi-vehicle crash in the eastbound Legacy Tunnel in Paddington,” Queensland Ambulance posted on X.
Police said the driver of the Audi, a man in his 50s, and the sedan’s passenger, a woman in her 20s, died at the scene. The hospitalized woman remains in critical condition.
Footage of the crash shows the Audi mutilated in the rear, in what appears to be a rear-end collision, while the other sedan was injured in the front and sides.
The truck may simply not be located. It also said that the driver was injured, but his life is not in danger.
The Queensland Police Accident Coroner’s Unit is conducting examinations of the scene and has not yet decided the cause of the collision.
The Legacy Way tunnel’s entry and exit lanes were closed to motorists for several hours and are expected to reopen later that evening.
QPS Acting Inspector Steve Crabbe said police were investigating whether speed was a factor, adding that police were looking for particular data related to the Audi traveling north on Centennial Highway before entering the tunnel.
Investigators can contact the police with a pleasant look at all witnesses or with a proper view of the black Audi S3 before the crash.