Two Dead in Old Beach Car Crash, Tasmania's Road Toll Reaches 16
Quick Look
- Two people died in a car crash at Old Beach, southern Tasmania, involving a hatchback and a utility vehicle.
- This brings the state's road toll to 16 this year, with four deaths since Friday.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Two people died in a car crash at Old Beach in southern Tasmania. This incident contributes to a rising road toll in the state.
Two people are dead following a crash at Old Beach in southern Tasmania.
Four people have died on Tasmanian roads since Friday, bringing the death toll in the state to 16 this year.
Police are investigating the circumstances leading up to the Old Beach incident.
Two people have died in a car crash at Old Beach in Tasmania's south.
Tasmania Police said a Holden Barina hatchback and a Mitsubishi Triton utility vehicle collided on the East Derwent Highway shortly before midday.
The two occupants of the Barina died at the scene. The Triton driver was uninjured.
"Identification of those two people is still to be formalised," Tasmania Police Inspector Brenda Orr said.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the crash.
When police addressed the media at 4:15pm emergency services remained at the scene and the East Derwent Highway was closed between Baskerville and Cassidys roads.
The road has since reopened.
"This time of year in particular presents additional pressures and challenges, with often wet conditions, longer hours of darkness and potential for ice and slippery conditions," Inspector Orr said.
"Always drive to the conditions, take extra caution to get to your destination safely."
There have been four deaths on the state's roads since Friday, including two fatal crashes in the state's north.
A 52-year-old woman was killed in a crash on Friday near Hillwood and a man in his 60s died in hospital on Monday after a crash at Carrick.
Two people riding a petrol-powered bike were also injured in a collision with a bus in New Norfolk in the state's south on Monday.
Police said the 17-year-old boy riding the bike was in a serious but stable condition and that his 18-year-old passenger had been released from hospital.
Police are also investigating a serious crash involving three vehicles and a pedestrian that occurred in Launceston today.
Police said a 65-year-old woman remained at the Launceston General Hospital with serious injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
Tasmania's road toll for 2026 now sits at 16, compared to 25 at this time last year.
Open Questions
- What caused the collision?
- Are there any other injuries not mentioned?