Alifia Soeryo death: Heartbreaking new blow for grieving mum after Indonesian student was crushed to death by a tree at University of Adelaide
A grieving mother has been denied access to the findings of an inquest into the death of her daughter, who was crushed by a falling tree.
Alifia Soeryo, 22, was jogging on the University of Adelaide football field when part of an eight-tonne gum tree fell on February 5.
The Indonesian student paused to catch her breath as the tree fell on her.
She could not be saved, despite the efforts of the emergency services who arrived on the scene.
Five months later, Novie Badilla claims she was denied access to the findings of a SafeWork SA investigation into her daughter’s death.
Agency officials concluded that Adelaide City Council, which is responsible for public spaces, was not responsible for Ms Soeryo’s death.
SafeWork concluded in a report that no labor laws had been violated and called the incident a “tragic accident.”
Mrs Badilla, 56, is devastated and is seeking legal advice in a bid to claim damages from the council.
Alifia Soeryo, 22 (pictured) died when part of a gum tree fell after she stopped to catch her breath while jogging around the University of Adelaide football field
“I just want to know what happened, I want people to be aware of this,” Ms Badilla told the Adelaide Advertiser.
‘People tell me that gum trees fall, but in this case it wasn’t just the branches, it was the whole tree.’
Ms Badilla, who lives in Jakarta, claims that SafeWork officials told her she could not access the report due to legal restrictions.
She claimed that officials told her she would need to file a request under the Freedom of Information Act if she wanted access to the report.
However, it may take more than a month for the request to be processed and information may be omitted from the report.
Ms Badilla felt that as the mother of the victim, she had the right to see the full report and findings.
“For me, compensation is number two, but justice is number one,” she said.
The report has been filed with the coroner.
Ms Badilla has been told it will take six to 18 months before they release their findings on the incident.
A spokesperson for SafeWork SA said privacy laws prevent the agency from releasing information from the report.
“Due to confidentiality, we cannot provide further details about the investigation at this time,” the spokesperson said.
It is believed Adelaide City Council also conducted its own independent investigation.
SafeWork SA has determined that Adelaide City Council, which is responsible for public spaces, is not responsible for the death of Ms Soeryo (pictured)
The mother of the international student said she wants to know what happened the day her daughter died in the accident (photo)
The council carried out inspections of Adelaide’s parks in June 2023, but no structural issues were discovered.
Ms Soeryo, who came to Adelaide to study a year ago, was completing her communications degree at university.
She wanted to work in the transportation sector.
She was also a keen cyclist and often shared videos of herself cycling with friends on country roads outside Adelaide.
Mrs. Badilla accepted her daughter’s diploma at a graduation ceremony held at the university in May.
Daily Mail Australia contacted SafeWork SA and Adelaide City Council for further comment.