Finding into death of Scott Peoples

20y · Male·multiple injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident (cyclist)

A 20-year-old elite cyclist was struck from behind and killed by a motor vehicle driven by a 73-year-old man with previously undiagnosed hemianopia (loss of peripheral vision to the left). The driver had struck another cyclist in identical circumstances 23 months earlier. The coroner found the collision resulted from the driver's medical condition, not the cyclist's actions. Critical failures included: inadequate police investigation with inaccurate accident reconstruction; rigid, formulaic questioning that failed to explore the driver's medical history despite contradictory statements; failure to identify a prior similar incident until after charges were laid; and delayed disclosure to the coroner. The coroner recommended mandatory reporting of medically unfit drivers by health professionals, immediate police power to suspend licences pending review, and rejection of unreliable Goldman chart visual field testing.