AN INQUEST INTO THE DEATH OF TATU WILHELM MICHAEL PARZEFALL
Deceased
Tatu Wilhelm Michael Parzefall
Demographics
22y, male
Date of death
2017-02-20
Finding date
2017-09-01
Cause of death
multiple injuries due to motor vehicle accident
AI-generated summary
A 22-year-old provisional motorcycle licence holder died from multiple injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision on 20 February 2017. He was riding a borrowed Harley Davidson motorcycle (1690 cc engine) and attempted an illegal left-side overtake of a turning vehicle on a residential road. The motorcycle was legally compliant under ACT regulations despite exceeding engine capacity limits in other Australian jurisdictions. The collision was caused by the rider's decision to overtake on the left side, not by vehicle defects or the Camry driver's conduct. The coroner found no preventable factors but noted a potential public safety concern regarding the ACT's unique absence of engine capacity limits in its learner-approved motorcycle scheme, recommending legislative review.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- illegal left-side overtake of vehicle
- rider's decision to pass without checking visibility
- visibility obstruction due to road incline
- rider failure to observe vehicle brake and indicator lights
Coroner's recommendations
- The ACT Government should review its adoption of the national LAMS scheme and reconsider its lack of adoption of the engine capacity limit for such motorcycles which applies in every other Australian jurisdiction.
- Access Canberra should review the 'List of approved motorcycles' it has promulgated to provide better guidance to learner and provisional riders of the status of the law in this area, and if it cares to, provide suggestions as to the appropriate type or classification of motorcycles it recommends for inexperienced riders.
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