Inquest into the Death of Daniel Paul HILDER
Deceased
Daniel Paul HILDER
Demographics
36y, male
Date of death
2016-07-08
Finding date
2019-08-20
Cause of death
multiple injuries sustained in motor vehicle crash
AI-generated summary
36-year-old man died from multiple injuries sustained when his car crashed into a brick wall while evading police. He was driving a defective vehicle (worn front tyres, inoperative handbrake) at excessive speed (>100 km/h) on wet roads while impaired by methylamphetamine and cannabis. Police initiated a brief pursuit after he reversed suddenly during a routine licence check, but appropriately aborted within seconds when risk became too high (police vehicle reached only 39 km/h). The deceased was not wearing a seatbelt. The crash and death resulted from the deceased's own driving decisions and drug impairment, not from police conduct. No clinical preventability issues identified; this is a non-medical death case.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- excessive speed (>100 km/h on wet roads)
- vehicle defects (unserviceable front tyre tread, inoperative handbrake)
- drug impairment (methylamphetamine and cannabis)
- driver not wearing seatbelt
- wet road conditions
- evasive driving on wrong side of road with lights off
Coroner's recommendations
- That the Internal Affairs Unit ensure that police officers directly involved in critical incidents are interviewed as part of standard investigative practice, rather than relying solely on written memoranda
- That the WA Police Emergency Driving Policy and Guidelines (TR-07.04) continue to emphasize risk assessment and pursuit termination protocols, particularly regarding speed and road conditions
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