Coroner's Finding: Cashion, Dale John

61y · Male·Multiple severe crushing injuries sustained when run over by a motor vehicle

Dale John Cashion, a 61-year-old man with a history of schizophrenia and suicidal ideation involving methods of being struck by vehicles, was struck by a car on Davey Street, Hobart, shortly after leaving his GP's surgery where he had reported a recent syncope episode. The coroner could not determine with certainty whether Mr Cashion fell due to loss of consciousness or deliberately placed himself in front of the vehicle. The driver was travelling at 45 km/h (below the 50 km/h limit), was unimpaired, and did not have sufficient stopping distance to avoid the collision. The clinical lessons centre on the assessment of syncope and mental health risk: the GP's documentation noted 'no suicidality' on the day of death despite Mr Cashion's documented history of specific suicidal ideation involving being struck by vehicles. The assessment of vasovagal syncope may have been incomplete given the acute presentation and mental health context.