Coroner's Finding: Pel, Tracie Ann and Pel, Michael Geraddus
Deceased
Michael Geraddus Pel and Tracie Anne Pel
Demographics
unknown
Date of death
2015-02-08
Finding date
2017-09-18
Cause of death
Michael Pel: multiple severe neck and chest injuries from motorcycle collision with silage bale; Tracie Pel: chest and abdominal injuries from the same collision
AI-generated summary
Michael and Tracie Pel, both aged 49, died in a motorcycle collision with silage bales that fell from an inadequately secured trailer on 8 February 2015. The truck driver, Gerald Davis, failed to comply with the Heavy Vehicle National Law Load Restraint Guide when securing the bales using only a single ratchet strap that did not restrict forward or rearward movement. A road surface defect likely triggered the dislodgement. Davis was convicted and fined. The coroner emphasised that proper load restraint according to established guidelines is essential, and recommended formal training on load restraint be incorporated into heavy vehicle licensing tests and that Transport Tasmania distribute educational materials about the Load Restraint Guide to all drivers.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- inadequate restraint of silage bales on trailer
- non-compliance with Heavy Vehicle National Law Load Restraint Guide
- road surface defect creating a bump that likely dislodged bales
- use of single ratchet strap instead of proper webbing and chain-bracing
- lack of restraint preventing forward and rearward movement of bales
Coroner's recommendations
- Transport Tasmania (Department of State Growth) should incorporate suitable questions relating to the Load Restraint Guide and appropriate loading methods into its licensing test for drivers of heavy vehicles
- Transport Tasmania should produce a pamphlet setting out in simple form the requirements of the Load Restraint Guide and distribute it with all licence renewal notices
Full text
Related cases
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —