Two children have survived a tragic head-on crash, which claimed the life of their father and two other men.
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The four-year-old and nine-month-old brothers were in the back seat of their family car when it crossed onto the wrong side of the Bass Highway early Wednesday morning.
The 33-year-old Selbourne father was killed on impact after he crashed into an oncoming ute.
A 63-year-old man and 65-year-old man from Launceston were travelling in the ute and were also killed.
Witnesses stopped at the scene and helped the young children before emergency services arrived and they were taken to the Launceston General Hospital in a critical condition.
Describing it as an "absolute tragedy", Northern Police Commander Brett Smith said investigators were still trying to determine why the driver ended up on the wrong side of the road.
Speed was initially ruled out, and police were awaiting toxicology results to determine whether the driver could have been under the influence.
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"Its not good day for our community," Commander Smith said.
"We are just looking at the why, and it would be inappropriate to speculate at this point in time."
It was believed the father was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, but both children were restrained in car seats.
It was understood the children's mother was at the hospital, where they remained in a stable condition on Wednesday afternoon.
Details about the two men in the ute were not released, with police still attempting to contact their family.
The highway was closed in both directions for about seven hours.
Within hours of the tragedy, a second crash occurred on the same highway.
Police were called to the single-vehicle incident near the Prospect turn-off just before 10am, however no serious injuries were reported.
Investigators are appealing for witnesses to the Carrick crash to come forward.
Anyone with dash cam footage or details about what occurred should contact police on 131 444.