Domino effect: How five minutes of highway mayhem left six injured, 10 vehicles damaged
Police are still piecing together the chain of events causing a multi-vehicle accident on the Bruce Highway near Tanawha Sunday night, which triggered mayhem including four more crashes and leaving the double-lane highway littered with debris.
The chaos began at approximately 7.45pm on Sunday evening when a single-vehicle incident, over the ensuing 10 minutes, created a domino effect involving 10 vehicles, including a B-Double truck damaged and six people injured.
In the initial incident, a car travelling northbound on the Bruce Highway near Ilkley Road at Tanawha hit the centre barrier. Police said within about five or six minutes, there was a “domino effect” with another four crashes.
A car heading south rolled several times after it swerved to avoid the driver of the first crash. The driver, a 37-year-old man, was then struck by another vehicle and sustained serious injuries.
Police said a B-double truck travelling north also crashed while trying to avoid the initial crash.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the chaotic events on the Bruce Highway.(Supplied: Clayton’s Towing)
Sunshine Coast District chief inspector Jason Overland said it was “very chaotic” with police officers narrowly avoiding being hit.
“[They] had to take evasive action to avoid being struck by a B-double that had locked its wheels on the approach of the incident scene,” he said.
“We’re just very fortunate that no one was severely injured … it could have been a lot worse.
“It was compounded by people who weren’t involved in the initial accident perhaps paying too much attention to the incident … which caused the subsequent accidents.”
In total, 10 vehicles were involved in the five crashes.
Paramedics assessed 11 people and took six people to hospital.
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A man in his 30s with head and chest injuries was taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Three women in their 20s were taken to hospital in stable conditions with chest, abdominal, arm, hip and leg injuries.
A boy and a man in his 60s were taken to Nambour Hospital in stable conditions with head injuries.
Anyone with dashcam footage is urged to contact police.
