Finding into death of John Pace
Deceased
JOHN PACE
Demographics
79y, male
Date of death
2013-11-22
Finding date
2014-10-29
Cause of death
HEAD AND CHEST INJURIES SUSTAINED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISION (DRIVER)
AI-generated summary
A 79-year-old man died in a motor vehicle collision at a median strip crossover on the Western Freeway. He had consumed alcohol (one light beer) and pulled his vehicle directly into the path of an oncoming vehicle travelling at highway speed, with the other driver having no time to brake. While the deceased's vehicle had inadequate tyre tread, this did not contribute to the collision. The coroner found the primary issue was unsafe median strip crossovers on the Western Freeway that allow side-road traffic to cross multiple carriageways. No medical or clinical factors contributed to this death. The key lesson is the importance of road safety infrastructure design in preventing such collisions.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Unsafe median strip crossover design on Western Freeway
- Inadequate visibility at night at Mt Cottrell Road crossing
- Unlit intersection
- Vehicle pulled directly into path of oncoming traffic with no time for evasive action
Coroner's recommendations
- Earnest consideration be given to closing the median strip crossovers on the Western Highway at Troups Road North, The Sundowner Caravan Park, The Rockband Garden Centre (Nursery), Paynes Road, and Mount Cottrell Road
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