Two teenagers have been charged over an alleged one-punch attack on the Gold Coast that has left a young man with life-threatening head injuries.
The 21-year-old victim was walking on Ferny Avenue at Surfers Paradise with a friend around 2am on Wednesday when he was confronted by a group of youths.
Police allege a verbal argument led to two of the teens physically assaulting the man, who was punched in the back of the head, causing him to fall and hit his head on the footpath.
Gold Coast Acting Assistant Ambulance Commissioner Drew Hebbron says he sustained traumatic head injuries.
"It appears he suffered an enclosed head injury, which is life-threatening, you don't get much more serious than that," Mr Hebbron told reporters in Brisbane.
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"They're difficult to treat because it's inside the head and you need urgent intervention from a hospital, which is what he's gotten."
The man was stabilised at the scene before being taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital.
A 16-year-old from Churchill has been charged with grievous bodily harm and assault while a 14-year-old from Goodna has been charged with assault, with investigations continuing.
Mr Hebbron said in addition to the trauma the man's family must be going through, the scene was confronting for ambulance crews.
"If we haven't yet got the message out that one punch can kill, I'm not sure how else we can get it across other than what's happened in this tragic case," he said.
