Coroner's Finding: Clark, Darren Stuart
Deceased
Darren Stuart Clark
Demographics
49y, male
Date of death
2017-08-19
Finding date
2019-09-11
Cause of death
Atlanto-occipital dislocation and transection of the aorta sustained in motor vehicle collision
AI-generated summary
Darren Clark, 49, died in a motor vehicle collision during a sanctioned gravel rally when his Mazda RX7 left the road and struck a tree stump. He sustained an atlanto-occipital dislocation and aortic transection, injuries which were unsurvivable. The coroner found the vehicle was mechanically sound, the driver experienced and properly licensed, and neither drugs nor alcohol were involved. Two deficiencies in rally documentation were identified: tulips 17 and 18 in the road book appeared on different pages despite being only 100 metres apart, contrary to National Rally Code requirements; and the tree stump should have been marked with a caution tulip but was not. While these documentation deficiencies may have contributed to the crash, the coroner made no formal recommendations or AHPRA referrals, finding no systemic failures requiring action.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- Road book deficiency: tulips 17 and 18 separated across pages despite being only 100 metres apart, contrary to National Rally Code requirements
- Absence of caution marking for tree stump in road book despite it being a singular obstruction near apex of left-hand bend
- Vehicle entry at speed (90 km/h reducing to 82.8 km/h) into left-hand corner with inadequate warning of hazard
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