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Finding into death of Bak Mayer Cier Deng

Deceased

Bak Mayer Cier Deng

Demographics

29y, male

Date of death

2019-04-20

Finding date

2022-08-16

Cause of death

Head Injury in a Motor Vehicle Incident

AI-generated summary

A 29-year-old man died from head injuries sustained when struck by a motor vehicle during a police foot pursuit. He was driving unlicensed and disqualified, and had consumed alcohol. When police intercepted the vehicle for a Field Contact check, they discovered he was unlicensed and suspected he had provided a false name. While conducting MDT checks, he fled on foot across Ballarat Road. The pursuing senior constable did not consider the foot pursuit overly risky given light traffic. The deceased ran across two lanes of traffic, jumped a median barrier, and was immediately struck by an oncoming vehicle. The coroner found no deficiency in police actions, noting the decision to pursue was reasonable based on information available at the time, the risk assessment was appropriate, and the deceased's fatal actions (failing to check for traffic after jumping the barrier) could not have been anticipated. No adverse findings were made against police.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.

Contributing factors

  • Unlicensed and disqualified driving
  • Alcohol consumption prior to driving
  • Flight from police during vehicle intercept
  • Failure to observe oncoming traffic when crossing roadway
  • Darkness and road bend obscuring visibility
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