A police officer has been seriously injured after a ute with a grandmother and her two grandchildren hit a police car from behind on the M1 motorway in Gold Coast's north.
The marked police car was stopped on the side of the motorway performing traffic duties when it was hit by a Mitsubishi Triton ute at Helensvale about 1.20pm today.
Police believe the ute hit the police car at 110km/h, which crushed the boot and trapped a 55-year-old senior sergeant inside.
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Emergency services had to cut him out of the car after he was unable to get out.
"The officer was stopped and unfortunately, for reasons we don't know yet, that utility has collided into the rear of the vehicle," Queensland Police Officer Mitch Gray said.
"He suffered some back, thoracic, and neck pain-type injuries.
"He's in good spirits considering the significance of the injury and we expect him to make a full recovery in time."
The grandmother, 54, and two young girls in the ute suffered minor injuries.
A one-year-old suffered a cut to her mouth and a nine-year-old had a cut on her thigh.
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"From what witnesses are telling us the vehicle slowly veered out from lane one and hit the vehicle, the police vehicle," Gray said.
"From what they're telling us initially, there was no dangerous operation of the vehicle occurring prior to the incident."
An off-duty police officer was driving past the scene in a Jeep and pulled into the slip lane to help shortly after the incident.
Due to the impact, the police car kept moving and hit the off-duty officer's Jeep in the slip lane in front.
"We suspect there's either a mechanical failure in the police car or the driver of the police car is actually unconscious at the time," Gray said.
Four patients – the police officer, grandmother and two girls – were transported to Gold Coast University Hospital in serious but stable conditions after the crash.
Motorists are advised to expect major delays as the four southbound lanes remain banked up as the forensic crash investigation team investigates.
The crash occurred near the theme parks along the motorway.
