January 13, 2016
An elderly man has died in Kingaroy Hospital after a car slammed into a tree beside the D’Aguilar Highway at Coolabunia on Wednesday afternoon.
Police believe the 16-year-old L-plate driver lost control as he was heading into Kingaroy.
The Hyundai Getz sedan hit a tree on the edge of the Coolabunia Rest Area and spun around.
Luckily the vehicle stayed off the road and did not spin back out into oncoming traffic.
Police, fire brigade and two ambulances were called to the scene.
Paramedics attended to the 78-year-old passenger – believed to be the young driver’s foster father – before carefully removing him from the car and placing him in an ambulance.
Initial reports suggested his injuries were minor however he later died in hospital.
The incident occurred just before 2:00pm.
Police investigations are continuing.
[UPDATED with correction. An earlier version said the passenger was the teenager’s grandfather]
