Patten 2012 05 02 11 56 38 733
Deceased
David Ian Patten
Demographics
male
Date of death
2010-01-07
Finding date
2011-03-04
Cause of death
Multiple injuries from motor vehicle collision
AI-generated summary
David Ian Patten died on 7 January 2010 in a motor vehicle collision on Wybong Road near Yarraman Road, Wybong, NSW. He was driving a Toyota Hilux westbound when he encountered a Kenworth Prime Mover towing an oversized load traveling eastbound. While negotiating a left-hand bend, Patten applied brakes, causing his tires to lock and slide into the opposing lane, colliding with the wide load. He died instantly from multiple injuries. The coroner found no suspicious circumstances or criminal conduct, attributing the collision to driver inattention; alcohol, fatigue, and speed were excluded as factors. The Prime Mover and load complied with all applicable regulations at that time. However, the coroner recommended legislative amendments to require pilot/escort vehicles for loads exceeding 3 metres width on narrow country roads, finding such measures may have prevented this collision.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Driver inattention
- Oversized load on narrow road without adequate pilot vehicle escort under then-current legislation
Coroner's recommendations
- Undertake formal review of wide load escort requirements legislation, particularly for travel on narrow country roads
- Amend legislation to reduce maximum width of loads without pilot vehicles from 3.5 metres to 3 metres on country roads
- Require additional escort vehicles where total road width at any point is less than 6 metres
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