Coroner's Finding: Wang, Yuanping

62y · Female·multiple spinal injuries sustained when struck by a motor vehicle

A 62-year-old female tourist was struck by a motor vehicle while walking on Montrose Road, Tasmania, sustaining catastrophic multiple spinal injuries and dying instantly. The driver was travelling at 77 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, exceeding the critical curve speed of 64 km/h for the bend. The vehicle lost control, skidded and rotated before hitting the pedestrian. The driver was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. Clinical lessons: this is a non-medical death but illustrates the catastrophic consequences of head and spinal trauma from high-energy blunt force. The post-mortem revealed transection of the mid-thoracic spinal cord, traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage, and multiple rib fractures—injuries incompatible with survival.