A car went through a Bundaberg medical centre’s front window and killed a man in the waiting room, past a barrier meant to stop it

A man who had gone to see a doctor on Monday morning was killed when a car drove through the front window of a medical centre in North Bundaberg and into the people waiting inside.

Queensland Police said officers were called to a shopping complex on Queen Street about 10.10am AEST (8.10am AWST), where an MG ZS station wagon had struck the building. A 63-year-old North Bundaberg man who was inside suffered critical injuries and was declared dead shortly afterwards.

A 63-year-old North Bundaberg woman, his partner, was also inside. Police said she suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital. The driver, a 71-year-old North Bundaberg woman, was injured and taken to hospital as well.

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating. As of 11.15am AWST, police had released no further information on the cause.

How did a car get into a waiting room?

That is the question investigators now have to answer. Bundaberg Police Chief Inspector Grant Marcus said the car had “driven through the front window” and collided with waiting patients.

He said a bumper barrier, there to stop exactly this kind of crash, was in front of the building, and police were trying to establish why the car went through the window anyway. He said it was too early to say whether speed played a part, and raised the possibilities of a mechanical failure or the driver pressing the accelerator instead of the brake. He said the crash did not appear to be a “purposeful act”.

No one has been charged, and police have not suggested anyone is at fault.

Who was hurt?

Police said the car struck several people inside the centre. Three people are confirmed injured or killed: the man who died, his partner, and the driver. Police have not said whether anyone else needed treatment. The medical centre has not been publicly named.

Why does this keep happening?

Cars driven into shopfronts, cafes and medical centres are a recurring kind of crash in Australia, and the usual defence is the one that was in place here: a low barrier or bollards between the car park and the glass. Investigators will look at whether the barrier was the right height and strength for a car of this size, and at the car itself, before the driver.

For the people of North Bundaberg, a city of about 70,000 on the Queensland coast, the shock is the setting. A medical centre waiting room is one of the few places where people sit still, often unwell or elderly, facing away from the street.

What happens next?

The Forensic Crash Unit will examine the car, the barrier and any camera footage, and prepare a report for the coroner, as happens with every fatal crash in Queensland. Police are asking anyone who saw the crash, or has CCTV or dashcam footage, to contact Policelink on 131 444, report online at police.qld.gov.au, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000, quoting QP2602214312.

The names of the man who died and his partner have not been released.

VNN will update this story as more is confirmed.