A young father is fighting for his life in a Brisbane hospital, still unaware that his wife and two-year-old daughter were killed in the same horrific truck collision that left him critically injured.
A Family Shattered by Tragedy
The devastating incident occurred on the Bruce Highway at Canoona, near Rockhampton in Queensland, shortly before 11pm on Wednesday. Two trucks collided, resulting in a catastrophic scene that would forever alter one family.
Brodie Wallis, 24, was driving one of the trucks and was thrown from the vehicle upon impact. He was airlifted in a critical condition to a Brisbane hospital for specialist treatment. Tragically, his 21-year-old wife, Kiarra, and their daughter, Aleyna, were also in the vehicle and both suffered life-threatening injuries.
Despite the swift response and efforts of emergency services, both mother and child were declared dead at the scene.
An Unbearable Secret and a Long Road to Recovery
Brodie's mother, Larissa, shared that her family has been 'shattered' by the deaths and the agonising uncertainty surrounding her son's recovery. 'His prognosis is unknown however we hope our love is enough and remain optimistic,' she wrote.
'He has already had multiple surgeries with many more still to come,' Larissa revealed. 'Currently he has no idea his girls are with the angels. And at some point I still have to break this devastating news to him.'
She is now facing a ten-hour journey to Brisbane to be with her son while simultaneously managing funeral costs, mounting medical expenses, and the immense emotional burden placed upon the family.
Community Support and Ongoing Investigation
The crash had significant wider impact, partly blocking the Bruce Highway for more than 20 hours and causing traffic backups for kilometres. Four Queensland Fire Rescue crews worked to extinguish a burning truck and a small grassfire ignited by the collision.
Police investigations into the cause of the crash remain ongoing, and authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward. The driver of the other truck, a 24-year-old man from New South Wales, sustained only minor injuries.
In the wake of the tragedy, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the Wallis family. 'We are having to reach out and ask for help something of which we would never do easily nor without a heavy heart,' Larissa explained.
Kiarra's mother, Rebecca 'Bec' Bennett, shared a tribute on social media, confirming the loss with her 'deepest sadness and a broken heart'. 'They've been taken away from us way too soon,' Ms Bennett wrote. 'Words cannot express how we're all feeling.'
Family and friends are now mourning the loss of Kiarra and Aleyna, remembered by loved ones as ‘two beautiful lives taken too soon’.
