'It's a tragedy': Father and two kids among four killed as Queensland Police reveal details into fatal rural crash

Sky News AU

21-07-2025

Police have revealed fresh details into the fatal head-on crash which saw a mother witness her fiancé and two children die in Queensland's Central Highlands on Sunday.
Just before 11am on Sunday a Holden Commodore collided with a Toyota Hilux on the Capricorn Highway between Comet and Blackwater.
Four people inside the Commodore - father Shaun Ranger, seven-year-old Baylee, six-year-old Chandler, and another man - were killed in the crash.
Ranger's fiancé Renee and their youngest daughter Saphora, aged two, were travelling behind them as the tragedy unfolded.
The family is understood to have been returning from a camping trip.
Officers said the two vehicles collided at 'very high speed' on the Capricorn Highway before both cars caught fire.
'Initial investigations indicate a Holden Commodore travelling towards Blackwater with four occupants struck a Toyota Hilux utility containing two occupants travelling in the opposite direction,' the police said.
'The driver, a 28-year-old man, six-year-old boy, seven-year-old girl and 32-year-old man died as a result of the crash.'
Two men in the Hilux, believed to have been driving to work, were also injured.
Paramedics took a 28-year-old man to hospital in a serious but stable condition and flew a 27-year-old man to Brisbane for treatment for life-threatening injuries.
On Monday, Inspector Ben Wiltshire said the mother was at the scene of the crash when police arrived.
"It was a very high-speed crash with significant damage to both vehicles, fire was involved and the injuries to the people involved were horrific," Wiltshire said.
'It's a tragedy that reverberates not just through the families, but through the entire Central Highlands community.
'It's very early days in the investigation and it would be premature for me to speculate on who was at fault or the reasons for the crash at this stage.'
Inspector Wiltshire said Central Queensland have a larger proportion of people who are involved in crashes because of fatigue and the distances between town across the region.
'Every time you get into a vehicle, you are conducting a high-risk activity,' he said.
'It is this case, it's two young kids who aren't going to play ball or play an instrument ever again in their lives.
'It is about people. It's about families.'
The Central Highlands region, about 850km north of Brisbane, stretches from Rockhampton in the east to Emerald and Alpha in the west.
A GoFundMe has been started for the surviving members of the family by friend Chantel Semple.
"Shaun, Baylee and Chandler were cherished and loved by many and brought so much joy and light into our lives," Ms Semple said.
'Baylee, aged 7, had a cheeky smile, bubbly personality and a love for horses.
'Chandler, aged 6, was a sweet and kind-hearted little boy, full of life and loved the outdoors.
'Shaun a dedicated and selfless father, supportive friend and loving partner.'
Ms Semple said the family friends are still coming to terms with the 'unimaginable loss'.
'I hope to relieve the extra stress and heartache that this family already have to endure by raising much-needed funds to cover costs for funeral expenses and support Renee and little Saphora,' she said.
'We are all very heartbroken over this unexpected loss and want to give them the send off they deserve, a meaningful goodbye, surrounded by the people who love them.'
As of Monday afternoon, $34,036 from 453 donations has been raised from a $45,000 target.
Investigations into the incident are continuing.
Anyone with dashcam footage or information about the crash are encouraged to contact police.
The tragic crash has brought Queensland's road toll to 16 deaths in just seven days.
As of July 20, a total of 158 people have died due to road crashes this year in Queensland.
Central Queensland has so far recorded 25 deaths on the state's roads.