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National

Man, woman and child killed in multi-vehicle crash at Oakey near Toowoomba

A man, woman and one-year-old child have been killed in a multi-vehicle crash west of Toowoomba on the Darling Downs.

A car and at least two trucks, including a B-double, collided on the Warrego Highway, west of Oakey, near Connelly Bridge, at about 11:15am on Tuesday.  

Police said the three who died — a 40-year-old man, 38-year-old woman and the child, from Roma — were travelling in a sedan.

A fourth passenger, a 36-year-old man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The two trucks involved were travelling in opposite directions.

The driver of the westbound truck, a 20-year-old Kearneys Spring man, was taken to Toowoomba Hospital with leg injuries but has since been discharged.

The driver of the eastbound truck, a 55-year-old man from Brendale, was not injured. He is helping police with their investigation.

Police said the sedan was travelling east when it collided with a westbound truck.

As a result, there was a second collision between the westbound truck and the eastbound truck.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Service acting inspector Kent Barron said the stretch of road was a treacherous one. 

"We've had numerous incidents in this stretch of road between here and Dalby, it's quite well known as a stretch of road where we do have quite serious motor vehicle crashes sometimes," he said.

"We're not sure why. It's the end of quite a busy period for us, being the school holiday period.

"It's traditionally a busy period for road crash trauma and this is a terrible way to conclude that period."

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the circumstances of the crash.

It is appealing for witnesses, especially those with dashcam footage or CCTV of the crash, or the moments leading up to it, to come forward.

Police Inspector Danny Shaw said earlier that driving conditions appeared to be "quite good" at the time of the crash.

“The road is in good condition, it's straight … and there are good side portions to the road," he said.

"It wasn't wet, I don't think there was any reason why the roadway itself was a factor in this incident."

The crash comes on the same day as a roundtable on road safety began in Brisbane after almost 300 people were killed on Queensland roads last year.

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