Inquest into the Death of Child JM (Name Subject to Suppression Order)
Deceased
Child JM
Demographics
16y, male
Date of death
2017-04-01
Finding date
2020-12-30
Cause of death
multiple injuries
AI-generated summary
A 16-year-old child in state care under a Protection Order (Until 18) was a passenger in a stolen vehicle being driven by his friend. Police attempted multiple vehicle intercepts during a series of evade police driving incidents lasting approximately 10 minutes. The vehicle driver ran a red light at high speed (entering at ~108-155 km/h in a 70 km/h zone), colliding with a bus. The child suffered catastrophic injuries and died despite immediate resuscitation efforts by police and paramedics. The coroner found that multiple police intercept attempts were conducted appropriately and did not contribute to the collision. The driver's evasion behaviour, extreme speed, and vehicle defects (worn tyres) were primary factors. The child was receiving supportive care through the Department of Communities, which made reasonable efforts to find stable placements despite his repeated absconding. No systemic failures in child protection were identified.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- vehicle driven at extreme speed through red light
- driver's evasive driving behaviour
- worn vehicle tyres reducing grip
- driver under cannabis influence with cognitive impairment from FASD
- collision between stolen vehicle and bus
- passenger position in vehicle with structural damage
Coroner's recommendations
- Police Emergency Driving Policy has been updated to further restrict parameters for non-Pursuit qualified drivers, requiring authorisation before commencing Evade Police Intercept Driving engagement
- Police communications channel configuration has been reviewed; no changes recommended as current configuration is considered optimal despite some incident-specific radio traffic congestion
- Department of Communities case practice manual has been updated with more prescriptive instructions for case managers, emphasizing assessment of cumulative harm and contextual analysis of presenting incidents
- Department of Communities has implemented Target 120 Program for early intervention with high-needs young people at risk of offending, coordinating interagency service delivery across government, police, schools, and community groups
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