Cif Toohey Ap Hil At 20041020
Deceased
Alan Paul Toohey and Andrew Tasman Hill
Demographics
male
Date of death
2003-04-24
Finding date
2004-10-14
Cause of death
Severe head injuries due to motor vehicle accident
AI-generated summary
Two experienced bushmen, Alan Paul Toohey and Andrew Tasman Hill, died on 24 April 2003 when a police vehicle pursuing their unroadworthy utility truck crashed over an embankment on a remote unsealed road in Far North Queensland and struck them. The officers initiated the pursuit for minor traffic violations, but the driver refused to stop. The coroner found the pursuit occurred at approximately 75 km/h in dim, fading light over an unfamiliar unsealed track with significant hazards. The specific chain of events—the bull catcher crashing first, then the police vehicle flying 17.5 metres to strike the men—was unforeseeable and prevented criminal charges. However, the coroner strongly criticized the pursuit decision-making, finding a reasonable officer would have abandoned the pursuit given the risk and minor offences. The coroner recommended trialling more restrictive pursuit policies limiting pursuits to serious offences, noting research shows such policies reduce deaths without increasing crime rates.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- Police pursuit initiated for minor traffic violations
- Unfamiliar, unsealed terrain traveled at high speed (75 km/h)
- Dim, fading light conditions
- Vehicle defects (faulty brakes functioning only on left wheels)
- Failure to properly assess risk and abandon pursuit
- Inadequate risk management and decision-making by pursuing officers
- Hazardous road conditions including washout and embankment
Coroner's recommendations
- Queensland Police Service, in conjunction with the Crime and Misconduct Commission, design, implement and evaluate a trial of a more restrictive police pursuit policy in a suitable geographic region that prohibits pursuit of drivers suspected only of minor offences, with state-wide policy amendments to be considered based on trial results
- Queensland Police Service remind officers of the importance to family members of having timely access to deceased bodies in an appropriate environment, with delay only for essential investigative steps
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