A woman has died and two other people are critically injured following a serious two-vehicle head-on crash at Old Beach, north of Hobart, Tasmania, on Monday 7 September 2026.

Emergency services were called to the East Derwent Highway near Riviera Drive at about 1:30pm, after a blue Nissan Qashqai and a silver Great Wall collided. Police and emergency crews attended the scene and began investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

The female front-seat passenger in the blue Nissan Qashqai died at the scene. The woman driving the Nissan was seriously injured and taken to Royal Hobart Hospital, where she remains in a critical condition. The male driver of the silver Great Wall was also critically injured and transported to the same hospital.

The crash caused a significant disruption to traffic in the Old Beach area. The East Derwent Highway was closed between Riviera Drive and Jetty Road while police conducted their initial crash investigation. The road has since reopened.

Police are continuing to investigate exactly how the two vehicles came to collide. Investigators are particularly interested in information from motorists who may have been travelling along the highway shortly before the crash.

Authorities are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident, seen either vehicle before the collision, or captured relevant footage on a dashcam to contact police. Such footage could assist investigators in establishing what happened immediately before the crash.

The crash occurred during a particularly serious period on Tasmania's roads. Tasmania Police said the Old Beach fatality was the fourth road death in the state within a week. Earlier on Friday, three people were killed and two others critically injured in another two-vehicle crash on the Bass Highway near Elizabeth Town.

Following the Old Beach crash, Tasmania Police Acting Inspector Amanda Hall urged motorists to take extra care whenever they travel. Police said every road death has a devastating effect on families and communities and reminded drivers that road safety is a shared responsibility.

Police are seeking information from the public as the investigation continues. Anyone with information or relevant dashcam footage can contact Tasmania Police on 131 444. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000.

A report concerning the fatal crash will be prepared for the Coroner as the investigation progresses. At this stage, police have not publicly established the precise circumstances that caused the head-on collision.