There remains uncertainty over the cause of a horrific crash in the Northern Territory that left a family of six dead in a “fireball”. A coroner has ruled it may have been due to a serious malfunction or a medical problem.
Coroner Elisabeth Armitage this week determined the accident happened when a family’s Pajero suddenly swerved into the lane of an oncoming road train on a flat stretch of the Stuart Highway near Pine Creek in September last year.
However, she said it is still unclear why the car, driven by a 34-year-old father, suddenly and violently veered onto the wrong side of the road.
Ms Armitage said the problem could have been caused by the Pajero suddenly developing a serious mechanical failure or the driver developing a medical condition.
She said the driver of the Kenworth tractor, which was carrying three trailers, was not at fault.
“The accident occurred when the Pajero abruptly deviated from its lane and came straight into the oncoming road train,” Armitage said.
‘Because there was no definitive evidence to support any particular theory, investigators could only speculate as to the cause of the accident.’
The coroner’s report painted a grim picture of the situation after the man, woman and four children – aged nine, five, four and one – were killed in a fireball and their “charred” remains were found in the rubble and on the side of the road.
A family of six died after their Pajero crashed into this truck
The road train and the Pajero exploded into a fireball after the impact
The youngest child was thrown from the car and it is unclear where he or she was in the car, the coroner said.
“An inspection of the metal seat belt clips left behind after the fire and the location of the child’s body would indicate that the driver and front passenger were wearing seat belts, but the four children were not,” Armitage said.
The male driver and his partner, who was sitting in the front seat, were seen drinking in a pub in Katherine just under five hours before the crash.
The man was seen on CCTV drinking six beers and a pre-mixed drink, the coroner said in her report. However, Ms Armitage said it was unlikely drink-driving had contributed to the crash.
“Given his alcohol consumption prior to departure, it is possible that the driver of the Pajero was under the influence and lost control of the vehicle due to fatigue, inattention, loss of consciousness or a combination of these factors,” police said.
The Pajero (pictured) skidded violently onto the wrong side of the road, a coroner said.
A family of six died, while two people in the truck survived.
‘However, the crash investigators considered this unlikely, as empirical evidence suggests that a vehicle in such circumstances is more likely to deviate from its lane than to make an abrupt lane change, as occurred in this accident.’
The man did not have a driver’s license because his license had been revoked in 2013 and had not been renewed.
The 2009 Pajero came into contact with the road train ‘without any warning’ when the two vehicles were approximately 30-40 metres apart.
The truck driver locked his brakes but could not avoid the collision, sending the Pajero flying through the air.
“The impact caused the Pajero to explode and catch fire,” the coroner said.
The collision caused the truck to jackknife and tip over on its side.
The crash was the deadliest the Northern Territory had seen in 16 years (the truck is pictured)
The truck had just been refueled and the driver and his co-driver, who was sleeping in the cabin, managed to get to safety when the truck went up in flames.
The driver suffered several broken ribs and a punctured lung.
“Due to the extensive damage sustained by the Pajero as a result of the crash and fire, it was not possible to carry out a comprehensive mechanical inspection,” Armitage said.
“There is no evidence to suggest or rule out that a mechanical failure contributed to or caused the crash.”