Inquest into the deaths of Stephanie Jane KING, Ella-Jane KABEALO and Jacob Matthew KABEALO
Deceased
Stephanie Jane King; Ella-Jane Kabealo; Jacob Matthew Kabealo
Demographics
female
Date of death
2017-04-03
Finding date
2019-05-10
Cause of death
Drowning
AI-generated summary
On 3 April 2017, Stephanie Jane King and her two children, Ella-Jane (aged 11) and Jacob (aged 7), died when their vehicle lost traction on Dulguigan Road, North Tumbulgum, NSW, after flooding from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie. The road was covered in mud and silt, creating a treacherous slippery surface that caused the vehicle to skid into the Tweed River. The road had not been closed by Tweed Shire Council despite being impassable during the flood. Stephanie was driving cautiously with no warning of hazardous conditions. The coroner found the Council should have closed the road and checked it before reopening. The Council was under-resourced and had not anticipated the extent of mud and silt hazard. The coroner recommended improved flood-related road hazard identification, monitoring procedures, volunteer programs, warning signage, and community communication about road closures.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Mud and silt on road after flooding
- Road not closed by council despite being impassable
- Council under-resourced for road closures
- No physical barrier between road and river
- Unprecedented extent of mud and silt hazard
Coroner's recommendations
- Conduct a study of roads within Tweed Shire to identify hazards during and following floods and mitigation strategies
- Update Standard Operating Procedures for Works Officers to actively look for risks from mud and silt on roads following floods
- Update Road Spotters Program to increase volunteer spotters near critical flood locations and prepare volunteer instructions with criteria for when to notify council
- Install warning signs on southern and northern ends of Dulguigan Road alerting public to hazards from mud and silt following floods
- Advertise to community any changes to road closure procedures, including closure when hazard makes road unsafe or impassable
Further listening
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