Inquest into the death of Matthew Lewis
Deceased
Matthew Scott Lewis
Demographics
21y, male
Date of death
2013-10-05
Finding date
2015-09-02
Cause of death
blunt force trauma to the head as a result of a single motor vehicle accident
AI-generated summary
Matthew Scott Lewis, 21, died from blunt force head trauma when a heavily modified hunting vehicle rolled at approximately 50 km/h while pursuing kangaroos on private farmland. The vehicle had been extensively modified with a raised centre of mass and roof 'pop-up' holes for shooting, rendering it inherently unstable. The driver had consumed 2-3 beers several hours earlier with a calculated blood alcohol of 0-0.015 g/100mL at time of accident—below the impairment threshold. No seatbelts were worn. Police failed to secure the accident scene for several hours and could not perform breath testing on the driver because the accident occurred on private property, beyond Road Transport Act jurisdiction. The coroner found the vehicle modifications, combined with passengers standing in roof openings, directly contributed to the rollover. The death was ultimately preventable through safer vehicle design and appropriate regulatory oversight of private property vehicle modifications.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- extensively modified vehicle with raised centre of mass rendering it inherently unstable
- roof 'pop-up' holes allowing passengers to stand with torsos outside vehicle, further raising centre of gravity
- vehicle modifications altering centre of mass and roll centre
- operation of unstable vehicle on uneven farmland at relatively high speed for terrain
- no seatbelts worn by any occupants
- passenger thrown from vehicle during rollover
- failure to secure accident scene until approximately 4 hours and 50 minutes after incident
- inability of police to conduct breath testing due to accident occurring on private property
Coroner's recommendations
- Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight should consider amendment to Road Transport Act 2013, Schedule 3, to provide police with power to require a person to undergo a breath test, or supply a sample of blood or urine, where there is reasonable cause to believe that the person was driving a motor vehicle that has been involved in an accident on private land, and where that accident has caused serious injury or death
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