A 26-year-old man who died after a truck allegedly struck him head-on on the wrong side of the Bruce Highway has been identified.
Andre Roberts, 26, was driving home about 10.30pm on Tuesday when a white Isuzu truck travelling southbound in the northbound lanes at Burpengary, north of Brisbane, struck his Honda Accord.
The Honda – which had been travelling in the correct direction – burst into flames upon impact.
Mr Roberts died at the scene.
Andre Roberts, 26, was killed in a fatal crash at Burpengary when a truck allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the road struck him head on. Picture: GoFundMe
His friend Lochlen Burns paid tribute to Mr Roberts, saying he meant the world to his family, especially his sister, and his loss left them completely devastated.
Mr Burns created a GoFundMe page to raise money to cover funeral expenses and ease the financial stress for Mr Roberts’ family during the “incredibly difficult time.”
“No family is ever prepared for something like this,” he said.
Detectives locate a vehicle suspected of being involved in a fatal traffic crash at Burpengary. Picture: Qld Police
The tribute comes as police revealed they had found a vehicle believed to have been involved in the crash.
In bodycam footage, officers can be seen entering a work site where they speak to a man who steps out of Mitsubishi ute and another man who appears to be working on a silver Ford Ranger believed to be involved.
Detectives are probing whether a truck driving on the wrong side of the road was being pursued by a group of vehicles before crashing head-on with Mr Roberts’ car.
The driver of the truck is fighting for life in hospital after the horror crash.
The truck driver suffered significant head, neck and pelvic injuries and was rushed to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.
Initial inquiries suggest the Isuzu was one of several vehicles travelling on the wrong side of the road prior to the crash.
Police have since located a car they suspect was pursuing the truck moments before the fatal crash.
At about 5.30pm on Wednesday, police located a Ford Ranger suspected as being the car following the truck before the crash at a business on Magnesium St in Narangba.
“A Narangba man is assisting police with their inquiries,” police said.
A man died in a crash on the Bruce Highway.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Detective Inspector David Harbison said anyone with footage of the incident should come forward to police.
“We do have some evidence to support, through witnesses accounts, that there was at least one other vehicle following this truck a short distance away from it,” he said.
“We don’t have information to suggest the truck was stolen.”
He said the truck and car were believed to have been driving in the wrong lane for “at least a kilometre”.
“I’m not clear exactly how they came to be coming down the north(bound) lanes though, I must admit,” he said.
The truck driver is now fighting for life in hospital.
Inspector Harbison said the truck was driving at “excessive speed”.
“A young man’s tragically been killed for no reason,” he said.
“It was amazing that no one else was harmed.”
He said he hadn’t seen such behaviour in “a long time”.
“I think we all know the dangers associated with going down the wrong way of the Bruce Highway at any time of the day or night,” he said.
Witness reports online suggest the truck was being chased by a number of 4WDs, which were driving down the wrong side of the road.
Detectives speak to a man at a worksite about the Burpengary crash where they located a vehicle believed to be involved in the crash. Picture: QLD Police
Online, witness Reese claimed she saw the truck “driving straight into oncoming traffic”.
Another witness, Tam, said she came close to being hit by the truck.
“Came through this,” she said. “Nearly had a head-on with the truck driving the wrong way on the highway being chased by two white 4WDs that had worksite strobes on the top of the 4WDs.”
Another witness, Raymond, said the scene made him “feel sick in the stomach”.
Police say the exact circumstances leading up to the crash remain under investigation, and a number of vehicles “remain outstanding”.
Detectives locate a vehicle suspected of being involved in a fatal traffic crash at Burpengary. Picture: QLD Police
Inspector Harbison said those with dashcam footage or witnessed the incident to report all details to police, as investigators could not rely on or use reports from social media.
“Unfortunately, we do see a lot of rumours circulating and starting for no reason, and they take us down rabbit holes we don’t need to go down,” he said.
“So just come forward and report it.”
Anyone with information or footage is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.