A woman has died and two people remain critically ill after a head-on crash at Old Beach, north of Hobart, bringing the number of people killed on Tasmanian roads in the past 72 hours to four.
The collision happened at about 1.30pm on Monday on the East Derwent Highway, near Riviera Drive, involving a blue Nissan Qashqai and a silver Great Wall.
The front-seat passenger in the Nissan died at the scene. The female driver of the vehicle was taken to Royal Hobart Hospital in a critical condition, while the male driver of the Great Wall was also transported there with life-threatening injuries.
The highway was closed between Riviera Drive and Jetty Road as crash investigators examined the scene.
The fatality followed a three-vehicle death toll on Friday, when two women and a man died in a collision on the Bass Highway, east of the Gannons Hill Road intersection at Elizabeth Town.
Tasmania Police said the Friday crash involved a white Chery and a white Isuzu D-Max towing a trailer. Two men were taken to hospital in critical condition.
Acting Inspector Amanda Hall said four people had died and four others had suffered critical injuries in crashes since Friday.
“While the crash investigations into this crash — and the one at Elizabeth Town on Friday — are ongoing, broadly police urge all motorists to be safe every time they travel on our roads,” she said.
“Every death on our roads is one too many, and today further families have received the devastating news that their loved one has died or been critically injured in a crash.”
Monday’s death takes Tasmania’s road toll for 2026 to 25, compared with 30 at the same point last year.
Police are investigating the Old Beach crash and have appealed for witnesses, particularly anyone with dashcam footage of either vehicle before the collision. Information can be provided to police on 131 444 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers Tasmania.
