A 31-year-old man has died following a fatal motorcycle crash on the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridge at Murarrie, three days after the collision that left him with life-threatening injuries.
The man passed away in hospital on Sunday, 12 July, succumbing to injuries sustained in a two-vehicle crash on the night of Thursday, 9 July.
Initial investigations by Queensland Police indicate that at around 8:13pm, a black Yamaha motorcycle struck the rear of a blue GWM Haval Jolion on the southbound Sir Leo Hielscher Bridge. The rider, who was in his 30s, sustained significant injuries and was transported to hospital, where he was placed in a critical condition. The occupants of the Haval sustained only minor injuries.
Following the crash, the southbound Gateway Motorway Bridge was reduced to a single lane before fully reopening at 11pm.
Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics attended the scene and assessed the rider, whose injuries were described as life-threatening at the time.
The Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges — commonly known as the Gateway Bridge — span the Brisbane River along the Gateway Motorway (M1), linking the suburbs of Eagle Farm and Murarrie. The motorway is one of the busiest in Brisbane, used by an estimated 125,000 vehicles per day.
Queensland Police’s Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the circumstances of the crash and has appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who holds relevant footage, to come forward.
The fatal incident on the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridge was one of two serious road crashes involving two-wheeled riders in South East Queensland that same Thursday evening. A 19-year-old male e-scooter rider suffered a critical head injury after colliding with a vehicle near the intersection of Claymeade Street and Sandy Camp Road in Wynnum shortly after 6pm, and was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital. The driver and two teenage passengers in the other vehicle were uninjured. Police were also investigating that crash.
The Wynnum incident came just days after Queensland’s sweeping new e-mobility laws took effect on 1 July 2026. The reforms ban devices capable of exceeding 25km/h, increase penalties for dangerous riding, introduce drink-riding enforcement, and make parents liable for fines when children under 16 ride illegally. Licensing and minimum age requirements for e-scooter and e-bike riders are set to commence from 31 August 2026.
Anyone with information about the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridge crash is urged to contact Policelink online at police.qld.gov.au or reach Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000.
Published 13-July-2026
