Girl’s death called ‘tragic reminder’

THE death of a Derwent Valley schoolgirl six years ago should stand as a “tragic reminder” to all road users to take care around school buses, a coroner says.

Coroner Duncan Fairley yesterday released his findings into Ashley Samantha Edmonds’ death.

Ashley, 13, died on Gordon River Rd at Karanja on February 29, 2012.

Ashley had just stepped off a school bus with her sister Jemma. The bus had its warning lights flashing, requiring drivers to slow to 40km/h within 50m of the bus.

Mr Fairley said Ashley and Jemma walked to the rear of the bus before Ashley stepped out on to the road ahead of her sister.

She was hit by a utility driven by Bradley John Chaplin and received severe head and chest injuries.

In February 2014, Magis- trate Olivia McTaggart found Chaplin guilty of negligent driving causing death and handed down a four-month suspended jail sentence, a $1300 fine and suspended him from driving for 15 months.

Those findings were overturned on appeal then reinstated after another appeal by the Crown.

Mr Fairley said he had decided not to hold a public inquest into Ashley’s death.

“I do not consider that the holding of a public inquest would elicit any significant information further to that already disclosed.”

Mr Fairley also said he did not need to make any specific comment or recommendation about the circumstances sur- rounding Ashley’s death “other than to say they should stand as a tragic reminder to all road users of the importance of exercising care when driving in close proximity to school buses”.

When Chaplin was before the Magistrates Court, Ms McTaggart found he was driving along Gordon River Rd at or close to the maximum permitted speed of 100km/h and saw the school bus, with its warning lights flashing, when he was about 600m away.

When Chaplin was between 200m and 100m from the bus, he slowed to 80km/h, which was the speed he was driving at when he hit Ashley.

Ms McTaggart also found the collision happened without Chaplin applying the brakes on his vehicle or attempting to swerve away from the pedestrian.

She said if Chaplin had slowed to 40km/h within 60m of the bus, he would have allowed Ashley a further 2.7 seconds to cross the road.