Finding into death of Nicole Amanda Chatfield
Deceased
Nicole Amanda Chatfield
Demographics
45y, female
Date of death
2016-10-24
Finding date
2018-02-13
Cause of death
Multiple injuries (motor vehicle impact — driver)
AI-generated summary
Nicole Chatfield, 45, died from multiple injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision when her car failed to stop at a stop sign and was hit by another vehicle travelling at approximately 80 km/h. She was familiar with the intersection but appears to have momentarily failed to attend to the stop sign. The coroner identified visibility problems at the intersection caused by tree lines and the raised intersection structure as potentially contributory factors. There were no medical issues identified; toxicology showed only therapeutic levels of her prescribed antidepressant citalopram. The coroner recommended that Cardinia Shire Council review the intersection design to improve visibility and safety, including removing obstructing trees, adding speed limit signs, and reviewing the raised intersection structure.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- Momentary inattention at intersection
- Reduced visibility due to tree windbreak on south-eastern corner of intersection
- Raised intersection structure affecting visibility and traction
- Inadequate warning signage distance from stop sign
Coroner's recommendations
- Cardinia Shire Council review the design and layout of the intersection of Five Mile Road and Hall Road
- Post a speed limit sign approximately 200 metres from the intersection in both directions with a reduced speed limit of 80 kph
- Remove tree lines immediately south-east of the intersection to improve line of sight
- Review the structure of the intersection, particularly the raised intersection structure resulting from the drain running parallel to Five Mile Road
Full text
Related cases
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 —