Harness may have saved child: coroner
A LITTLE girl who died after being thrown from a car that crashed at New Norfolk may have survived if she had been properly restrained, a coroner has found.
Molli Marriott, 4, died on November 1, 2014, when she was thrown from the rear seat of a car being driven by her mother, Tamara Whitford.
Ms Whitford crashed on Boyer Rd, New Norfolk.
Her son and Molli, who was in a booster seat but not buckled in, were both thrown from the vehicle. As the car overturned and came to rest, Molli was trapped under it.
She was pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance paramedics who arrived shortly after the crash.
Coroner Olivia McTaggart said that in deciding to drive, Ms Whitford had no proper regard for the safety of Molli or any of the other five passengers.
“She was aware that her vehicle had too many occupants and also that, immediately before the crash, Molli was likely to be unrestrained,” Ms McTaggart said.
“Having embarked on the journey, she should have stopped when it became apparent that Molli was not re- strained by her harness. Had she done so, there would have been a good chance that Molli would not have been ejected from the vehicle and would have survived.”
Ms McTaggart also found Ms Whitford knew the car’s tyres were not legal, that she was driving unlicensed, had consumed a large amount of alcohol the night before and also had an illicit drug in her system.
“This tragic case serves, particularly, as a reminder of the significantly elevated risk of death or serious injury to the occupants of a motor vehicle and other road users when a driver chooses to drive while impaired by the consumption of alcohol and drugs,” she said.
Ms Whitford was sentenced to six months in jail in January, 2016.