Finding into death of Mary Fillipas
Deceased
Mary Fillipas
Demographics
75y, female
Date of death
2017-05-30
Finding date
2017
Cause of death
Complications of multiple injuries sustained when struck by a car (pedestrian)
AI-generated summary
Mary Fillipas, 75 years old, died from complications of injuries sustained when struck by a car while crossing Station Street in Burwood on 8 May 2017. She suffered multiple serious injuries including subarachnoid haemorrhage and spinal and rib fractures, requiring intubation and ICU admission with multiple surgeries. Despite maximal treatment over three weeks, her condition declined with haemodynamic instability and hypoxia. The collision occurred in poorly lit conditions at dusk; the deceased wore dark clothing and was crossing just after the crest of a hill, limiting the driver's visibility. Police investigation found no criminal offence. The coroner identified environmental factors—inadequate street lighting due to tree obstruction and bus stop location relative to the road crest—as contributing to the accident. No clinical management issues were identified; the death was attributable to the traumatic injuries sustained.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Procedures
Contributing factors
- poor street lighting due to tree obstruction
- bus stop location relative to road crest limiting visibility
- dark clothing worn by pedestrian
- road structure and crest limiting driver sightlines
- dusk lighting conditions
Coroner's recommendations
- Public Transport Victoria consider and investigate relocating the bus stops on the east and west side of Station Street, near Talbett Street, to the top of the crest to improve visibility for pedestrians and drivers.
- Whitehorse City Council consider maintaining or removing any tree(s) in the immediate vicinity of the current or relocated bus stop at the intersection of Station Street and Talbett Street in Burwood to ensure drivers have visibility of pedestrians and overhead lighting is not affected.
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 —