Coronial
TASother

Coroner's Finding: Best, Christopher Mark

Deceased

Christopher Mark Best

Demographics

58y, male

Date of death

2017-12-21

Finding date

2019-03-29

Cause of death

Traumatic pulmonary artery rupture as a result of a motorcycle crash

AI-generated summary

A 58-year-old man died from traumatic pulmonary artery rupture following a motorcycle crash into a farm gate at low speed (~30km/h). He had a history of neurocardiogenic syncope with recurrent presyncope and palpitations previously investigated by a cardiologist. The most likely cause was loss of consciousness due to syncope while riding, preventing emergency action. The motorcycle lacked functional brakes and had a sticking throttle, making it unsafe and difficult to control. The coroner found that proper motorcycle maintenance and pre-ride inspections—particularly brake and throttle checks—may have prevented the crash. This case highlights the importance of recognising syncope risk in patients with cardiac palpitations and the critical need for equipment safety.

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

Contributing factors

  • Neurocardiogenic syncope episode while riding motorcycle
  • Motorcycle defects: non-functional brakes and sticking throttle
  • Lack of helmet protection
  • Inadequate pre-ride safety inspection and maintenance

Coroner's recommendations

  1. Follow regular maintenance programme from operator's manual, especially for brakes, footrests and controls
  2. Conduct pre-ride inspection every time before riding, checking tyres, light-bulbs, chain-drive, mirrors, brakes, clutch, throttle, fuel and oil
  3. Remove any foreign material from engine parts after use
  4. Check for damage and take action to fix or report to owner
Full text

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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.

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