Robinson, Paul Gerard Joseph
Deceased
Paul Gerard Joseph Robinson
Demographics
50y, male
Date of death
2007-09-25
Finding date
2010-06-24
Cause of death
Multiple injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident
AI-generated summary
Paul Robinson, an experienced truck driver, died in a single-vehicle rollover on a steep descent when he failed to select low gear and maintain appropriate speed. The truck was out of adjustment for its brakes with significantly extended pushrods (six of eight exceeded optimal range), excess water in air tanks, and uneven brake application (front brakes operational, rear brakes inefficient). Although Paul had received adequate induction training on the preferred safer route, he travelled an unfamiliar steep road at night. He attempted to engage gears near the top of the descent but selected high gear instead of low gear (indicated by ECM over-speed data). With faulty brakes and high speed, the truck could not negotiate the final left-hand bend and rolled at approximately 55+ kph. Key preventable factors included inadequate brake maintenance, poor signage placement on the descent, and lack of driver familiarity with this particular hazardous route.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- Brakes out of adjustment with excessive pushrod travel (six of eight pushrods exceeded optimal 44mm range)
- Excessive water in air tank reservoirs reducing braking efficiency
- Uneven brake application - front brakes operational, rear brakes inefficient
- Failure to select low gear on descent despite warning signs
- High gear selected at top of range when attempting to engage gears
- Unfamiliarity with Maleny-Kenilworth Road, particularly at night
- Inadequate signage placement - warning sign placed too far from final steep descent
- Excessive speed approaching final left-hand bend (estimated 55+ kph)
- Driver fatigue or inattention possible but not proven
Coroner's recommendations
- That when a request is made for a mechanical examination of an accident vehicle, that the request set out the known circumstances of the accident
- That Queensland Transport considers adding warning signage prior to the final decline as part of its review of signage for declines in South East Queensland
- Senior officers of Queensland Police Service, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and Queensland Transport confer and develop an action plan to ensure inter-agency cooperation occurs through allocation of resources and priority to ensure timely investigation of any future truck accident
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