Coronial
QLDother

Bonanno, Gregory Stephen

Deceased

Gregory Stephen Bonanno

Demographics

22y, male

Date of death

2010-06-01

Finding date

2011-10-11

Cause of death

Multiple injuries sustained when vehicle travelled across area of recent roadworks and skidded off the road, colliding with a tree; vehicle was subsequently incinerated

AI-generated summary

Gregory Stephen Bonanno, 22 years old, died when his vehicle skidded off a country road with a freshly resurfaced section and collided with trees. The accident occurred on a road with loose gravel from recent repair work. Contributing factors included probable speeding by the driver and inadequate warning signage. The 'Loose Stones' sign displayed did not include speed restrictions or 'Slippery Surface' warnings that would have been appropriate given the hazardous loose surface conditions. Multiple road users that day experienced loss of control on the same patch. The coroner found that updated signage protocols (requiring 60-80 km/hr speed restrictions) and more rigorous risk assessment processes would have been appropriate and potentially preventable. Training gaps for road supervisors regarding traffic management standards were identified.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.

Contributing factors

  • Probable speeding by the driver
  • Inadequate warning signage at roadworks site
  • Loose gravel surface on recently repaired road patch
  • Lack of speed restriction signs
  • Inadequate risk assessment for road repair work
  • Supervisor unfamiliar with updated signage standards

Coroner's recommendations

  1. Department of Transport and Main Roads should give serious consideration to including in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) training and information on the parts of the Main Roads Technical Standard (MRTS) which contain regulation of signage controls
  2. Department of Transport and Main Roads should give serious consideration to the inclusion of guidelines in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) in relation to the conduct of risk assessments for road works in order to ensure that a consistent and sufficiently rigorous process is followed in the interests of public safety
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