Finding into death of Mr ST
Deceased
Mr ST
Demographics
34y, male
Date of death
2014-12-29
Finding date
2017-06-23
Cause of death
Multiple injuries sustained in motor vehicle collision
AI-generated summary
A 34-year-old motorcyclist died from multiple injuries sustained in a collision with a prime mover performing an unsafe, illegal U-turn on Appleton Dock Road, West Melbourne. The motorcycle was travelling at approximately 130 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. The truck driver failed to ensure adequate braking system pressurisation before moving off and misjudged the motorcycle's speed. While the coroner found the truck driver's unsafe U-turn was the primary cause, the motorcyclist's excessive speed contributed to the collision's severity. The coroner identified systemic issues at the intersection that facilitated illegal U-turns by heavy vehicles and recommended physical remediation of the road layout to prevent future incidents.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- Truck driver performed unsafe and illegal U-turn without ensuring trailer braking system pressurised
- Truck driver misjudged speed of approaching motorcycle
- Motorcyclist travelled at excessive speed (approximately 130 km/h in 50 km/h zone)
- Road layout at intersection facilitated illegal U-turns by heavy vehicles
- Truck was poorly maintained with worn tyres and other mechanical defects
Coroner's recommendations
- Port of Melbourne Corporation and VicRoads review the area and consider remediation of the road layout at the Appleton Dock-Anderson Road intersection, West Melbourne, either by construction of a physical barrier to prevent illegal U-turns at the collision site, a viable roundabout or U-turn facility further down Appleton Dock Road or otherwise
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