Six elderly mainland visitors remain in hospital in Melbourne and Hobart after the van they were travelling in rolled down an embankment on King Island.
The Toyota HiAce was carrying 10 people aged in their mid-70s to 80s when it crashed on South Road at Pearshape, in the island’s rural south, around 4:20pm on Friday.
Police believe the van failed to take a bend and lost traction in loose gravel before going down the embankment, rolling over and landing back on its wheels.
Injuries to the driver and passengers included suspected fractures, facial trauma, back pain and internal pain. Some were serious, but none are believed to be life-threatening.
Three patients were flown to Melbourne by Air Ambulance Victoria on Friday night.
One is in a stable condition at The Alfred Hospital and two were admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Seven others were taken to King Island District Hospital and Health Centre at Currie.
Three of them have since been transferred to the Royal Hobart Hospital with minor and moderate injuries and are in a stable condition, while the other four have been discharged.
Tasmania Police Inspector Steve Jones said the crash scene was complex.
“This was quite a challenging incident involving a significant crash, multiple people with serious injuries, and in a remote location,” he said.
Volunteers from Ambulance Tasmania, the State Emergency Service and Tasmania Fire Service responded, along with an ambulance from the mine at Grassy. Both Westpac Rescue Helicopters were also sent from Hobart with medical staff on board.
Jones described the care that police and volunteers gave patients until specialist medical teams arrived as “outstanding”.
“Our thoughts are with those injured persons, their families and loved ones and the wider King Island community,” he said.
Ambulance Tasmania chief executive Nicole Ashworth thanked ambulance volunteers, paramedics, medical retrieval teams, Ambulance Victoria and the other emergency services that responded.
“This was a complex and challenging incident and their skill, care and teamwork made a real difference,” she said.
Police investigations are continuing.
Anyone with information or dashcam footage or who saw the white van on South Road around the time of the crash, is asked to contact police.
