The devastated father of four children killed with their mother in a "catastrophic" crash on a Queensland highway has spoken publicly about the tragedy for the first time.
Charmaine Harris McLeod, 35, and her children Aaleyn, 6, Matilda, 5, Wyatt, 4, and Zaidok, 2, were killed when she was overtaking a vehicle and slammed into an oncoming truck about 200km north of Brisbane on the Bunya Highway on Monday night.
The 47-year-old truck driver escaped and attempted to free the victims as the car was engulfed in flames but was unable to save them.
He suffered burns to his arms while trying to help and was taken to hospital for treatment, according to a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman.
James McLeod, the father of the four children, released a brief statement on Tuesday evening.
