Coroner's Finding: Lockley, Rodney Dennis
Deceased
Rodney Dennis Lockley
Demographics
51y, male
Date of death
2019-12-22
Finding date
2020-09-29
Cause of death
Multiple blunt traumatic injuries
AI-generated summary
Rodney Dennis Lockley, aged 51, died from multiple blunt traumatic injuries sustained in an ATV crash on Wooreddy Road, South Bruny, on 19 December 2019. He was riding a 2013 Polaris Sportsman quad bike at approximately 50-54 km/h when he applied excessive braking, causing the vehicle to skid and roll. Toxicology revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.286 g/100mL (nearly six times the legal driving limit) and diazepam, both significantly impairing driving ability. The vehicle was mechanically sound; the crash resulted from impaired riding technique at excessive speed for the vehicle type and road conditions. This case demonstrates the critical danger of operating quad bikes while intoxicated—a known high-risk combination. The coroner reiterated that riding quad bikes whilst affected by alcohol is inherently dangerous and should never occur.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Excessive alcohol consumption (blood alcohol concentration 0.286 g/100mL)
- Benzodiazepine (diazepam) intoxication
- Excessive speed for vehicle type and conditions (50-54 km/h)
- Improper braking technique on quad bike
- Riding quad bike on public road in impaired state
- Inadequate helmet protection (open-face motorcycle helmet)
Full text
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