A woman has died after a Mother’s Day crash in the Gold Coast hinterland that left two others critically injured.

Emergency services responded to the three-car crash that shut down Maudsland Road at Maudsland for more than six hours yesterday, after the collision at noon.

Police said the crash involved a station wagon, a hatchback and a dual cab ute.

The driver of the station wagon, a 41-year-old Coomera woman, died at the scene.

Her 11-year-old daughter was rushed to hospital in a life-threatening condition with significant injuries, but is now in a stable condition.

A 19-year-old man had been driving the second vehicle, a ute, and sustained serious abdominal injuries and was taken to hospital.

The driver of the third car, a woman in her 60s, was taken to hospital in a stable condition with a sore neck.

Gold Coast District Assistant Officer Superintendent Brett Jackson said early investigations indicated the 19-year-old driver may have veered onto the wrong side of the road.

“That caused the collision. It was a traumatic scene for motorists and nearby residents and emergency services,” he said.

“This lady was a mother. Our thoughts are with her family.”

The woman had been travelling home with her daughter after visiting Mother’s Day markets on Tambourine Mountain.

Police are investigating the exact cause and said the 19-year-old was cooperating with investigations.

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the circumstances of the crash.

State road toll surging

Superintendent Jackson said five lives had been lost on Gold Coast roads already this year, with the statewide road toll surging to 117.

“That is 27 more deaths than the same time last year and is why we’ve stepped up our response to road safety,” he said.

Police officers conducted more than 1,700 random breath tests on Gold Coast roads across the weekend.

The death of the woman in Sunday’s crash follows a fatality at Glen Aplin south of Stanthorpe on Saturday afternoon.

Police said initial investigations showed an SUV had been travelling south on the New England Highway when it swerved to avoid a car travelling in the opposite direction on the wrong side of the road.

The vehicles did not collide, but the car struck a culvert and rolled several times before striking a power pole.

A 92-year-old male passenger was declared deceased at the scene, while another passenger, an 85-year-old woman, sustained life-threatening injuries and remains in a critical condition.