Inquest into the death of Road Death 19 of 2024

22y · Female·Traumatic brain injury (diffuse axonal injury with skull fractures) secondary to single motor vehicle collision and acute alcohol intoxication

A 22-year-old female died from traumatic brain injury sustained in a single-vehicle rollover on a rural road in the Northern Territory. She had consumed 15-20 cans of beer over approximately 10 hours, achieving a blood alcohol level of 0.12% at hospital admission. She had been awake most of the previous night four-wheel driving and was fatigued. She was driving at 96 km/h in a 70 km/h zone and was not wearing a seatbelt (which was non-functional). Four of the Fatal Five road safety risk factors were present. She was ejected from the vehicle, sustained unsurvivable diffuse axonal injury, and died after brain death declaration. The coroner found this death preventable, highlighting the combined dangerous effects of alcohol intoxication, fatigue, excessive speed, and lack of seatbelt restraint in a rural crash.