Three Killed in Late-Night Bunya Highway Crash Near Kingaroy

Three people have died and a teenage girl has been seriously injured following a devastating two-vehicle crash near Kingaroy in southern Queensland.

Emergency services were called to the Bunya Highway at Taabinga, near the intersection of Stuart Valley Drive and Toomeys Road, shortly after 10pm on January 19. Initial police investigations indicate a Dodge Ram utility and a Ford Ranger utility collided head-on.

The Dodge Ram caught fire as a result of the impact. The male driver and sole occupant of that vehicle died at the scene.

The Ford Ranger was carrying a 44-year-old Kingaroy woman and her two daughters. The driver and her 12-year-old daughter were pronounced dead at the scene. A 13-year-old girl was transported to Kingaroy Hospital in a serious but stable condition before being airlifted to Queensland Children's Hospital, where she remains in a stable condition.

The highway was closed for several hours overnight while forensic investigations were carried out, with traffic diversions put in place. The road has since reopened.

South Burnett Patrol Group Inspector Scott Stahlhut said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash.

"Both vehicles collided head-on in a 100km/h zone, so they were travelling at speed," he said. "It was quite a large scene under the circumstances."

Inspector Stahlhut said the Dodge Ram was towing a trailer and was engulfed in flames when first responders arrived.

"That was a major concern for police and emergency crews - containing that fire to increase any chance of survival," he said.

Police confirmed all those involved were from the Kingaroy and South Burnett region. The Forensic Crash Unit is continuing its investigation and is urging anyone who was travelling on the Bunya Highway around the time of the crash, or who may have dashcam footage, to contact police.