Truck driver charged over fatal highway crash that killed 14-year-old girl

A man has been charged over the death of a 14-year-old girl in a crash in Bundaberg, Queensland last year.

Police said a Volvo tow truck traveling northbound on the Bruce Highway in Apple Tree Creek collided with a white Mazda CX-5 and a white Toyota HiLux traveling southbound around 2 a.m. on Oct. 10, 2025.

The teenager from Brunswick Heads, who was traveling in the passenger seat of the Mazda, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 22-year-old Sarina woman driving the Mazda was treated for minor injuries, while the driver of the HiLux, the 22-year-old Sarina woman, was not injured.

The driver of the backhaul, a 32-year-old Park Ridge man, was not injured and was charged with dangerous driving causing death.

He was released from custody on strict bail conditions and is expected to appear at Southport Magistrates’ Court on May 14.