Death sparks road fix call
A FATAL crash between a car and semi-trailer at a Bruce Highway intersection on Cairns's southside has prompted residents to call for immediate work to fix the trouble spot.
"Main Roads has totally let residents down by not having an overpass to make the intersection safer," White Rock resident Trevor Close, whose house is about 100m from the crash site, told The Weekend Post.
"It is a dangerous intersection."
A 47-year-old woman was killed when her sedan collided with a semi-trailer at the intersection of the highway and Foster Rd at Mt Sheridan at 6.45am yesterday.
The Edmonton woman died at the scene while the 44-year-old truck driver, who is from Babinda, was taken to Cairns Base Hospital and treated for shock.
White Rock woman Karyn Anderson, who witnessed the aftermath of the crash from her nearby workplace, said she saw at least one accident a week at the busy intersection, which feeds into Mt Sheridan Shopping Centre.
"I was shocked when I found out somebody had died," she said.
Far Northern Region Traffic Co-ordinator Insp Bob Waters said a police forensic crash unit was investigating the crash and that the coroner had also attended the scene.
He said the woman’s death was a tragedy.
"This is going to affect a lot of people, not only the person who lost their life but families and friends," he said.
"For those people this is not going to be a festive season.
"The message is for people to be very alert in their driving habits and to be aware of what is happening around them and simply obey the simple road rules.
"We do not want to see any more deaths on our roads."
The crash closed the north-bound lanes of highway for about four hours, causing lengthy delays for motorists on their way to work.
Traffic into the city was diverted through suburban streets of Progress Rd, White Rock and along Foster Rd through Forest Gardens.
Police are asking for anyone who saw the accident to call the Cairns Traffic Branch on 4044 8888. Police would also like to speak to the driver of a white prime mover that stopped briefly at the scene just after the crash happened.
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Forensic probe: Police investigate a fatal traffic accident between a car and semi-trailer on the Bruce Highway yesterday morning that left the north-bound lanes closed for hours.
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