Finding into death of Sharmaine Vera Blyth
Deceased
Sharmaine Vera Blyth
Demographics
19y, female
Date of death
2015-04-19
Finding date
2015-09-07
Cause of death
Injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision (driver)
AI-generated summary
Sharmaine Blyth, a 19-year-old experienced driver, died in a motor vehicle collision on a rural Victoria road in wet conditions. She lost control of her vehicle on a moderate right bend and collided with a tree. While the exact cause of loss of control could not be definitively established, contributing factors included wet road conditions, poor visibility, possible mobile phone use, road design features (drop in level between lanes), and potential wildlife avoidance. The coroner found no evidence of impairment. The case highlights the importance of appropriate speed limits and safety signage for challenging road sections with documented collision histories. This incident led to VicRoads reducing the speed limit from 100 to 80 km/h in the vicinity.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Wet road conditions
- Poor visibility
- Possible mobile phone use while driving
- Road design features (drop in level between northbound and southbound lanes)
- Possible wildlife avoidance
- Speed inappropriate for road and weather conditions
- Lack of overhead lighting
Coroner's recommendations
- VicRoads consider reducing the 100 kph speed limit to 80 kph for the entire 5.5 km stretch of road
- VicRoads consider placing Chevron warning safety signage applicable to northbound traffic at this location
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