Carer’s drive to tragedy

Speed key to crash

EXCESSIVE speed and inattention contributed to the death of Moonah mother Alice Mwarabu, a coroner has found.

Coroner Simon Cooper yesterday released findings from his investigation into Ms Mwarabu’s October 2017 death.

Mr Cooper said Mrs Mwarabu, 33, was driving home from a night shift at an aged care home at Bellerive where she had been working as a carer for a month.

He said Mrs Mwarabu finished work at 7am and at 7.10am was driving west on the Domain Highway towards the Brooker Highway in a 70km/h zone.

“Subsequent crash investigation indicates that Mrs Mwarabu was travelling at somewhere between 10 and 12km/h in excess of the speed limit,” Mr Cooper said.

“She failed to negotiate the arc of a sweeping left-hand curve in the road and drifted to the right over the continuous double centre line into the opposing lane of travel.”

Mr Cooper said investigators found Mrs Mwarabu did not attempt to brake or correct the position of her car.

At the same time, a truck was travelling in the opposite direction. Mr Cooper said its driver, Brendan Bennett, saw Mrs Mwarabu’s car move into his path but was unable to avoid a collision.

“The evidence satisfies me that Mr Bennett was in no way responsible for the happening of the fatal crash. Although he braked heavily and swerved to the left he had insufficient time and space to respond so as to avoid the collision,” Mr Cooper said.

“The extensive investigation in relation to Mrs Mwarabu’s death showed that excessive speed, on her part was a contributing factor to the happening of the crash,” he said.

“The other significant factor, when the evidence is viewed as a whole, was driver inattention, again on Mrs Mwarabu’s part.”

Mr Cooper said Mrs Mwarabu died soon after she was rushed to the Royal Hobart Hospital.

He said no illicit drugs or alcohol was found in her blood or Mr Bennett’s.

Alice Mwarabu