A three-year-old boy has died after suffering critical injuries in a horror two-car crash on the Sunshine Coast that injured five others, including three children.
Police say a Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD and a Mazda CX-9 SUV collided just after 2pm on Monday on the Sunshine Motorway near Coolum.
The three-year-old boy, who was travelling in the Pajero, was taken by ambulance to Sunshine Coast University Hospital. He died on Tuesday morning from his injuries, police said.
A 36-year-old man and a three-year-old girl who were travelling with the boy were taken to hospital in a stable condition.
A 38-year-old woman driving the Mazda and two children, aged 12 and 4, were also taken to hospital for treatment.
The Forensic Crash Unit is appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage to contact police.
'Too many lives destroyed'
The stretch of the Sunshine Motorway runs from the central Sunshine Coast towards Noosa.
The crash occurred near a notorious two-lane roundabout, which local MP Dan Purdie said had been an issue on his agenda since 2008.
Mr Purdie said he had raised it with successive governments.
He said while crashes caused huge traffic jams when they occurred, that was not his biggest worry.
"Locals do know that we all get stuck in the traffic, which is a shame, but I'm more concerned as being a former police officer, I've seen my fair share of carnage on the road.
"My top priority is to ensure the safety of locals."
The nearby school's P&C had even created a safety committee, because at peak times traffic could snake back on to the motorway where drivers were travelling at 100kph.
"I certainly am not putting it in the too-hard basket," Mr Purdie said.
"Too many lives have been destroyed, and let's all pray that another life isn't lost from the incident [on Monday]."
