Inquest into the death of Road Death 18 of 2024
Demographics
29y, female
Date of death
2024-03-29
Finding date
2025
Cause of death
Multiple blunt force injuries due to motor vehicle collision (pedestrian)
AI-generated summary
A 29-year-old woman died after being struck by a vehicle while walking on an unlit road at night after leaving a nightclub event. She had consumed alcohol (BAC 0.15%) and was wearing dark clothing on a dark, unlit stretch of road with an 80 km/h speed limit. Crash investigation determined the driver was sober, not at fault, and travelling at or near the speed limit. The coroner identified preventable system failures: the venue had not arranged a courtesy bus despite knowing patrons would depart intoxicated with limited taxi availability, and the road lacked street lighting. The coroner emphasised that while the deceased's intoxication and poor decision-making contributed, a Safe System approach would have provided protective measures—either safe transport from the venue or adequate road lighting—that could have prevented this death.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Pedestrian intoxication (BAC 0.15%) affecting cognitive ability and decision-making
- Pedestrian walking on roadway in dark, unlit conditions despite available shoulders and footpath
- Pedestrian failure to perceive approaching vehicles or take evasive action
- Absence of street lighting on the road
- Lack of courtesy bus provision despite venue's knowledge of patron departure circumstances
- Limited taxi availability (only two taxis in area)
- Pedestrian wearing dark clothing in dark conditions
- 12 km distance from venue to town making walking a lengthy, risky proposition
Coroner's recommendations
- The Department of Tourism and Hospitality and Department of the Attorney-General should engage with the Gove Boat Club licensee to amend Liquor Licence 81401564 or enter an enforceable undertaking to ensure a courtesy bus is made available to patrons at closing time, considering the known risks and the Social Model approach in the 2024-2028 Towards Zero Road Safety Action Plan.
- The Department of Logistics and Infrastructure, together with RIO Tinto, should ensure adequate street lighting is provided between the Gove Boat Club and Nhulunbuy to reduce risk to pedestrians, with the extent of additional lighting determined considering the known risks and the Safe System approach in the 2024-2028 Towards Zero Safety Action Plan.
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