Friends have paid tribute to a north Queensland couple killed in a fiery crash on the Bruce Highway on Tuesday afternoon.
Gemma Cosgrave, 37, and Steven Arthur, 34, were killed when their car collided with a truck just south of Cardwell, causing the truck to burst into flames.
The truck driver escaped with minor injuries and acted quickly to pull the couple's baby from the wreckage of their car, with help from bystanders who were first on the scene.
Jasmine Porteous worked with Ms Cosgrove and said the family would be deeply missed in the small town of Bingil Bay, near Mission Beach.
"It's a massive shock and I know that our community will be grieving for a long time, it's a massive loss to all of us," Ms Porteous said.
"(Gemma) was a great friend and colleague, she was really hard worker, very conscientious and she was incredibly dedicated to her family."
'They saved the baby's life'
Paramedic Megan Brown, who attended the Cardwell crash, praised the actions of people at the scene.
"The truck driver and a couple had arrived on scene — straight away, they found the baby," she said.
"The cars were already alight, I believe, when they did that, so they absolutely saved the baby's life by getting the child out of the car."
The couple's eight-month-old son is still recovering in Townsville Hospital.
Friends said the couple also had a seven-year-old son.
"Obviously, it's hit us hard because we're a very small community and all very close," Ms Porteous said.
The past 10 days have been a shocking period on Queensland's road, with 18 people losing their lives since May 27.
A series of accidents began with the deaths of Charmaine Harris McLeod and her four children in a head-on crash with a truck near Kingaroy.
Homicide detectives continue to investigate whether Ms Harris McLeod crashed her car deliberately.
