Finding into death of Michelle Lorraine Duque
Deceased
Michelle Lorraine Duque
Demographics
52y, female
Date of death
2020-10-24
Finding date
2021-10-27
Cause of death
Multiple injuries in a motor vehicle incident
AI-generated summary
Michelle Duque, a 52-year-old British expat of 19 months in Australia, died from multiple injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision on the Western Freeway. She stopped her vehicle in an active traffic lane to protect an echidna from traffic. As she attempted to move between lanes, a Honda Sedan in an overtaking maneuver struck her vehicle. Contributing factors included her unfamiliarity with Australian road safety practices regarding wildlife, a false sense of security from unusually light traffic, and obscured visibility of her stationary vehicle. This case highlights the importance of prioritising driver and road user safety over wildlife protection, and understanding local road safety conventions when relocating internationally.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- Deceased unfamiliar with Australian road safety practices regarding wildlife after only 19 months residence in Australia
- Deceased stopped vehicle in running lane of operational freeway to protect echidna
- Unusually light traffic on freeway due to Grand Final Day and COVID-19 restrictions created false sense of security
- Honda driver's view obscured by unidentified sedan and overpass shade until moments before collision
- Sudden movement of deceased's vehicle between lanes did not allow sufficient time for Honda driver to avoid collision
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