Ravenswood man in critical condition after Christmas head-on smash on Pipers River Road at Lower Turners Marsh

The 18-year-old man from Ravenswood from flown by helicopter to the RHH from the Launceston General Hospital yesterday evening after his condition was upgraded from serious to critical.

He was the passenger in a Kia Rio driven by an 18-year-old Waverley man that collided head-on with a Ford Laser at Lower Turners Marsh before 4pm.

The crash occurred about 200 metres north of Wattle Ridge:

Tasmania Police say the driver of the Ford Laser – a 34-year-old Mount Direction woman – veered onto the wrong side of the road, “crossing double white lines”.

Inattention was believed to be the cause of the crash.

All three people involved were initially taken to the LGH.

TUESDAY: A MAN has been taken to Launceston General Hospital with serious injuries after a head-on crash on Pipers River Road at Lower Turners Marsh on Christmas Day.

Emergency services were called to the scene, just south of Bangor Road, about 4pm.

A Kia and a Ford had collided head-on.

The female driver of the Ford and the male driver of the Kia avoided serious injury, but the Kia’s passenger sustained serious injuries. All three people involved were transported to Launceston General Hospital.

Long tyre marks could be seen in the lead-up to the crash site.

The scene was just a few kilometres from the site of a fatal crash in September, when an Underwood man was killed in a single-vehicle crash.

Pipers River Road was expected to remain closed to traffic until 7pm, with diversions in place to the north.

Inspector Philippa Burke said police were still investigating the scene and the cause of the crash was unknown at this stage.

She said drivers needed to be aware of the “fatal five” – the most common causes of fatal and serious crashes in Tasmania.

“They are drugs and alcohol, inattention such as mobile phones, speeding, fatigue and not wearing a seatbelt,” Inspector Burke said.

It capped a disappointing Christmas period on the roads around Launceston, according to Tasmania Police.

Alcohol was believed to be a factor when a driver collided with a house in Prospect Vale on Christmas Eve, police say.

A Ravenswood driver was also 2.5 times the drug-alcohol limit when he struck a fence.