Finding into death of Valerie Beryl McNeil
Deceased
Valerie Beryl McNeil
Demographics
77y, female
Date of death
2013-12-03
Finding date
2015-01-22
Cause of death
Multiple injuries (motor vehicle impact — driver)
AI-generated summary
Valerie McNeil, 77, died from multiple injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision. She failed to give way at a T-intersection (Wollaston Road/Mortlake Road) when turning right into the path of an oncoming vehicle. The coroner noted she did not appropriately heed the give way sign and line. The intersection design posed inherent risks due to the distance required to traverse (13 metres over three lanes), blind crest on Mortlake Road, and traffic travelling at 70kph downhill. Although the other driver (Ms Clark) had sent text messages shortly before (contrary to law), this was not definitively causal. The coroner recommended VicRoads review and upgrade this dangerous intersection to prevent further deaths. Clinically, this is a fatal trauma case with no preventable medical factors identified.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- failure to give way at intersection
- intersection design with poor visibility and excessive crossing distance
- driver error
Coroner's recommendations
- VicRoads review the intersections of Hopkins Highway, Wollaston Road and Sundale Road, Warrnambool, with a view to upgrading the intersections with the aim of improving safety measures and preventing further serious injury and deaths
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