Unclear what led to elderly woman’s fatal Bruny crash

A coroner has been unable to determine what led to the fatal car crash of an elderly Bruny Island woman.

In her findings published on Wednesday, Coroner Olivia McTaggart said Zena Kay Penney, an 86-year-old widow who lived alone at Adventure Bay, had been in good physical and mental health for most of her life. Ms McTaggart said Mrs Penney was capable and self-reliant and was the holder of a driver licence.

However, Mrs Penney’s fitness to drive was undergoing assessment by the registrar of motor vehicles after she witnessed Mrs Penney crashing into another car at Margate during February 2023.

Mrs Penney visited her doctor the following month as part of her assessment. Her doctor advised that her driving should be limited to Bruny Island only until the assessment was complete.

The official notice from the registrar imposing this interim driving restriction was sent to Mrs Penny on March 29, 2023, the day before her death.

Ms McTaggart said it was unlikely Mrs Penney received it before her death the following day, on March 30. On the day in question, Mrs Penney drove her Holden Barina hatch from her Bruny Island home to Kingston to undertake errands.

“Nothing about her driving or use of the island ferry was untoward,” Ms McTaggart said.

But shortly after driving over The Neck on Bruny Island, Mrs Penney’s car left the sealed roadway and travelled on to the left-hand-side road verge, before crashing into a large tree.

There were no witnesses to the crash, with paramedics arriving soon after and declaring her deceased.

Ms McTaggart said Mrs Penney was driving under the speed limit of 90km/h, was wearing her seatbelt, and that her car was roadworthy.

She said the road and weather conditions played no part in the crash.

The coroner also noted Mrs Penney – who died from multiple serious injuries – did not apply her brakes or accelerator before the crash. She said it was possible Mrs Penney may have suffered a cardiac arrhythmia, causing her to drive off the road and crash, but it was also possible that fatigue or distraction was involved.