Mystery continues to surround the cause of a horror crash in the Northern Territory in which a family of six died in a “fireball”. A coroner has concluded it could have been due to a catastrophic malfunction or a medical episode.
Coroner Elisabeth Armitage this week heard the crash happened when a family’s Pajero suddenly swerved into the path of an oncoming train on a flat stretch of the Stuart Highway near Pine Creek in September last year.
However, he said it has not been determined why the car, driven by a 34-year-old father, suddenly and violently swerved onto the wrong side of the road.
Ms Armitage said it could have been caused by a sudden and catastrophic mechanical failure of the Pajero or because the driver suffered a medical episode.
He said the driver of the Kenworth vehicle, which had three trailers attached, was not at fault.
“The accident occurred when the Pajero veered violently out of its lane directly into the path of the oncoming road train,” Armitage said.
‘Without definitive evidence to support any particular theory, accident investigators could only speculate as to why this occurred.’
The coroner’s report painted a grim picture of the scene after the man, woman and four children (aged nine, five, four and one) perished in a fireball and their “charred” remains were found in the rubble and at the side of the road.
A family of six was killed after their Pajero swerved into the path of this highway truck.
The road train and the Pajero exploded in a fireball upon impact.
The younger child was thrown from the vehicle and it was unclear where he was sitting in the car, the coroner said.
“An inspection of the metal seat belt clips left behind after the fire and the location of one child’s body would suggest that the driver and front passenger were wearing seat belts, but the four children were not,” Armitage said.
The male driver and his partner, who was the front seat passenger, were seen drinking in a Katherine pub just under five hours before the crash.
The man was seen on CCTV drinking six beers and a pre-mixed spirit, the coroner said in her report. However, Armitage said drink-driving was unlikely to have contributed to the crash.
“Given his alcohol consumption prior to departure, the driver of the Pajero may have been intoxicated and may have lost control of the vehicle due to fatigue, inattention, loss of consciousness or a combination of these factors,” it said.
The Pajero (pictured) swerved violently onto the wrong side of the road, a coroner said.
A family of six died while two people inside the truck survived.
‘However, accident investigators considered this unlikely as empirical evidence suggests that in such circumstances a vehicle is more likely to drift out of its lane rather than swerve as occurred in this accident.’
The man did not have a driving licence, as it had been disqualified in 2013 and had not been renewed.
The 2009 Pajero crossed the path of the road train “without warning” when the two vehicles were about 30-40 m apart.
The truck driver locked the brakes but was unable to avoid the collision, which sent the Pajero flying into the air.
“The impact caused the Pajero to explode and burst into flames,” the coroner said.
The crash caused the truck to jackknife and roll over on its side.
The accident was the deadliest in the Northern Territory in 16 years (truck pictured)
The truck had just refueled and the driver and his co-pilot, who was sleeping in the cab, managed to get to safety as the truck burst into flames.
The driver suffered multiple broken ribs and a punctured lung.
“Due to the extensive damage caused by the crash and fire to the Pajero, a thorough mechanical inspection was not possible,” Armitage said.
“There is no evidence to suggest or rule out that mechanical failure contributed to or was the cause of the accident.”
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