A coroner investigating the deaths of four teenagers in a “horrific” car crash has made no findings against police but pointed to a lack of training at the time around sensitivity to Indigenous families.
Lucius Hure-Hill, 13, Rayveena Coolwell, 14, Cayenne Robertson, 14, and Aaliyah Te Paa, 17, died instantly before 4.30am on June 7, 2020 in Townsville, northern Queensland.
The Kia Sorento SUV the four teens were in had been reported stolen and was being driven by another 14-year-old boy known as QTS.
State coroner Terry Ryan delivered his findings in Brisbane on Thursday following four days of inquest hearings in Townsville later in 2022.
Four family members of the deceased teenagers attended court via video conference.
The Kia Sorento SUV (pictured) in which the four teenagers were traveling was speeding at the time of the accident.
Ryan said the Kia was reported to police for “making noises” on the wrong side of the road at speeds of up to 130km/h.
“The driver of the QTS failed to negotiate a roundabout… he lost control and the vehicle collided with a traffic light pole (and) disintegrated on impact,” he said.
Ryan said QTS survived, but the other four teens were ejected during the crash and suffered injuries obviously incompatible with life.
‘The (deaths were) caused by the actions of another child. He was a young boy with a significant criminal record,” Mr Ryan said.
He said the teenagers’ deaths had caused immeasurable harm to their families and expressed his deepest condolences.
A police investigation found that Miss Te Paa posted recordings on her Instagram account while she was in the van that included the phrase “they are chasing us”.
A police unit had spotted the SUV and was following it at a distance in an attempt to register its license plate, but the officers had not activated their lights or sirens, nor had they ordered the driver to stop.
Ryan said the teens’ belief that police were chasing them was understandable, but they were wrong as officers followed safety procedures and did not initiate a chase when QTS sped away.
“What (QTS) may have thought was an exciting game of cat and mouse with the police ended with unnecessary loss of life for their four young friends,” Mr Ryan said.
Officers moved to prevent QTS from seeing the dead teens and tried to comfort him when ambulances arrived.
“Police officers have also suffered ongoing trauma as a result of the horrific scene they faced,” Mr Ryan said.
He found the subsequent police investigation to be thorough and professional.
Some of the families of the deceased complained that not all close relatives were informed by the police of the death of their relatives and this affected their traditional indigenous grieving process.
The officers had been trained as recruits in culturally appropriate ways to notify family members, but had not participated in a refresher course.
Ryan said the issue was being addressed with additional training and a recommendation was not necessary.
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