Coroner's Finding: Smith, David Alan
Deceased
David Alan Smith
Demographics
male
Date of death
2016-12-18
Finding date
2019-06-28
Cause of death
multiple injuries sustained in a motor vehicle crash
AI-generated summary
David Alan Smith died in a motor vehicle crash on the Midlands Highway, Tasmania, when struck head-on by another vehicle. Mr Smith was driving responsibly—within speed limits, sober, well-rested, and with all passengers wearing seatbelts. The other driver, Dwayne Cashman, was driving at excessive speed (at least 140 km/h), with a blood alcohol level of at least 0.086%, sleep-deprived, and inattentive (changing a CD). Mr Smith's injuries were unsurvivable given the circumstances. This case illustrates that deaths from trauma in the community setting are typically not preventable through medical intervention when the injury burden is so severe. The coroner found no medical factors requiring comment or recommendation.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- head-on collision with another vehicle
- other driver excessive speed (at least 140 km/h)
- other driver blood alcohol level at least 0.086%
- other driver sleep deprivation
- other driver inattention (changing CD)
- blunt trauma to head, neck, thorax, abdomen, pelvis, arms and legs
Full text
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