Finding into death of Mathew David West
Deceased
Mathew David West
Demographics
10y, male
Date of death
2021-10-23
Finding date
2023-08-29
Cause of death
Head and neck injuries sustained in motor vehicle collision (passenger)
AI-generated summary
A 10-year-old boy died from head and neck injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision on 23 October 2021. His grandfather was driving a Toyota Landcruiser when it collided with a stationary tow truck that had stopped on the road. The grandfather did not observe the truck in time to avoid collision despite emergency braking 1.15 seconds before impact. The coroner noted that rear underrun impact protection (RUIP) fitted to the tow truck may have prevented the death. Currently, RUIP is only regulated for semi-trailers under Australian Design Rule 91/00, not for heavy vehicles like the tow truck involved. The coroner recommended amending the design rule to include RUIP regulation for heavy vehicles.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Grandfather did not observe stationary truck in time
- Absence of rear underrun impact protection on tow truck
- Road surface transition from bitumen to gravel
- Truck positioned on roadway with hazard lights only
Coroner's recommendations
- The Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts consider amending Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 91/00 – Rear Underrun Impact Protection) 2018 to include the regulation of RUIP on Heavy Vehicles
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