Inquest into the death of Skye SASSINE
Deceased
Skye Sassine
Demographics
1y, female
Date of death
2009-12-31
Finding date
2015-05-15
Cause of death
head injury sustained when the motor vehicle in which she was a passenger was struck at high speed by a motor vehicle which was the subject of a police pursuit
AI-generated summary
A 19-month-old child was fatally injured when a vehicle she was a passenger in was struck at high speed by a car being pursued by police. The pursuing officers drove with significant disregard for safe driving policies, including travelling through red lights at excessive speed, driving on incorrect sides of roads, turning off traction control, and breaching minimum gap requirements. While police actions did not directly cause the collision, the pursuit created the circumstances in which it occurred. The coroner found serious deficiencies in Safe Driving Panel review procedures, lacking documented reasoning and assessment standards. Additionally, police helicopter crew received no training on their pursuit roles. Key lessons include: strict adherence to safe driving policies during pursuits; transparent, documented review procedures with clear standards; and appropriate training for all personnel involved in pursuit operations.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- high speed police pursuit
- vehicle driven by pursued motorist at high speed weaving in and out of traffic
- pursuing officers driving in breach of Safe Driving Policy
- pursuing officers exceeding safe speed limits for conditions
- pursuing officers travelling through red traffic lights
- pursuing officers breaching two-second gap requirement
- pursuing officers driving on incorrect sides of roadway
- pursuing officers engaging in high-risk maneuvers such as handbrake turns
- pursuing officers with traction control disabled
Coroner's recommendations
- Amend the NSW Police Force Safe Driving Policy to provide that where a death occurs during or following a police pursuit, the driving of officers in pursuing vehicles during the pursuit itself and any preceding period of urgent duty or catch-up be reviewed by a Safe Driving Panel to assess compliance with the SDP
- Safe Driving Panels prepare written statements of matters considered, conclusions reached, and reasons for recommendations made, with copies retained in Panel records and provided to the officer reviewed
- Review the role of Police Aviation Support Branch in circumstances of urgent duty or pursuit to clarify roles and ensure they can be reasonably undertaken with available technology and resources
- Provide appropriate training to members of Police Aviation Support Branch and other police officers likely to be involved in urgent duty or pursuit situations, including communication operators, VKG Supervisors, and Duty Operations Inspectors, regarding clarified roles
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