Coroner's Finding: Donohue, Jacob and Oliver, Will
Deceased
Jacob Allan Donohue; Will Cecil Oliver
Demographics
19y, male
Date of death
2022-10-14; 2022-10-15
Finding date
2023-11-28
Cause of death
Jacob Allan Donohue: multiple (head, trunk and limb) injuries sustained as driver in motor vehicle crash. Will Cecil Oliver: severe traumatic closed brain injury and hypoxic brain injury due to haemorrhagic shock caused by extensive chest and abdominal injuries sustained as front seat passenger in motor vehicle crash.
AI-generated summary
Two 19-year-old males died in a head-on motor vehicle collision on the Midland Highway near Oatlands, Tasmania. The driver of a Kia SUV unintentionally entered the opposing lanes while navigating roadworks in rainy, dark conditions without street lighting. He failed to observe warning signs (Keep Left, No Entry/Wrong Way) at the transition from roadworks to the existing road, likely distracted by roadworks markers, darkness, and weather. The vehicle was struck head-on by a lawfully-operated truck. The truck driver attempted evasive action but could not avoid the collision. No alcohol, drugs, or vehicle defects were involved. The roadworks were appropriately marked; an independent audit found signage clear but recommended directional arrows be painted in the lane at the roadworks transition point.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- unintentional entry into opposing lane by driver
- failure to observe Keep Left and No Entry warning signs
- rainy weather conditions
- darkness with no overhead street lighting
- possible distraction by roadworks markers and changed road markings
- confusion at transition from roadworks to existing road
Coroner's recommendations
- At the point of transition from the end of the roadworks to the existing road, arrows should be painted in the lane to mark direction of travel
Full text
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 —