Coroner's Finding: Paul Wayne Carter

33y · Male·Multiple injuries consequent upon being struck by a truck

Paul Wayne Carter, a 33-year-old Aboriginal man with intellectual disability and mental health history, died on 7 August 2006 after being struck by a truck on the Sturt Highway near Mildura. Victoria Police transported him from his girlfriend's home and dropped him on the highway at midnight, allegedly at his request. The coroner found Paul deliberately ran in front of trucks while intoxicated and grief-stricken after his brother's death that day. However, the coroner strongly criticized the police decision to leave him on an isolated, unlit highway 13 km from his father's home without assessing his vulnerability or the location's safety. Paul had intellectual impairment, alcoholism, recent bereavement, and a relationship breakdown—all indicating he needed protection. The coroner found the death possibly preventable if police had taken him to his father's home or consulted their supervisor. Recommendations addressed police training, procedures for transporting non-arrested persons, and recorded interviews in custody deaths.