Inquest into the death of Deryck Michael Calvert
Deceased
Deryck Michael Calvert
Demographics
24y, male
Date of death
2009-12-08
Finding date
2010-12-23
Cause of death
blunt head trauma
AI-generated summary
Deryck Michael Calvert, aged 24, died from blunt head trauma after a single-vehicle rollover crash while driving at approximately 154 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on Gunn Point Road. He had not been wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. The crash occurred while he was evading a random breath test (RBT) after deliberately performing a U-turn to avoid police detection. He had low concentrations of alcohol and methamphetamine in his system. While a police pursuit occurred, the coroner found the pursuit had ended before the crash and did not directly cause it. The death was ultimately attributable to the deceased's decision to drive at excessive speed to evade the RBT. Clinical learning: the significance of non-use of seat belts in fatal injuries, and the importance of understanding how substance use and impaired judgment increase crash risk. The coroner identified that the police pursuit itself did not comply with pursuit policy, despite critical safety protocols designed to prevent exactly this type of tragic outcome.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- excessive speed (154 km/h in 100 km/h zone)
- failure to wear seat belt
- low concentration alcohol in system
- low concentration methamphetamine in system
- deliberate evasion of RBT leading to high-speed driving
- loss of vehicle control on bend
- vehicle struck culvert and became airborne
Coroner's recommendations
- That the Northern Territory Police Service Urgent Duty Driving and Pursuit Policy 2004 be comprehensively reviewed and rewritten
- That consideration be given to including 'non-pursuit' categories in the Policy, where the risks associated with engaging in pursuits cannot be objectively justified
- That there be an increased focus on training and re-training for officers involved in applying the Urgent Duty Driving and Pursuit Policy. Only trained officers who have demonstrated that they understand and can apply the Policy should be involved in pursuits
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