Record of Investigation Into Death (Without Inquest)
Corners Act 1995
Coroners Rules 2006
Rule 11
I, Christopher P Webster Coroner, having investigated the death of
Beverley Joan Wood
I Find That:
(a) The identity of the deceased is Beverley Joan Wood (Ms Wood);
(b) Ms Wood died on 20 June 2012 at Golden Valley Road, Cygnet;
(c) Ms Wood was born in Newcastle, Australia on the 6 March 1952 and was aged 60 years at the time of her death;
(d) Ms Wood had never married and her occupation at the date of death was an itinerant worker;
(e) Ms Wood died as a result of neck and chest injuries when pinned under own car;
(f) No other person contributed to the circumstances of her death, and
(g) At the time of her death she was not being treated by a medical practitioner.
Circumstances Surrounding the Death:
Ms Wood had lived in the Cygnet community, having arrived in Tasmania around 1993/94. She never married and was not in a caring relationship in the period of time immediately before her death. She is said to have preferred her own company and would rarely seek the assistance others.
Between 10.30am and 1.15pm on 20 June 2012, it appears that Ms Wood discovered that the battery in her vehicle had lost sufficient charge to not allow it to start the vehicle. She has been able to start the vehicle moving backwards with the probable intention of ‘jump-starting’ it however, as it travelled backwards, Ms Wood has fallen from the driver’s seat. When the vehicle come to a standstill Ms Wood was pinned beneath it, to the rear of the front right-side wheel. When discovered she was deceased.
A post mortem examination conducted the following morning by Dr C. Lawrence determined that Ms Woods died as a result of the neck and chest injuries that she suffered at the time. He also determined that mechanical/positional asphyxia may have contributed to her ultimate death.
Comments and Recommendations:
I have decided not to hold a public inquest hearing into this death because my investigations have sufficiently disclosed the identity of Ms Wood, the time, place, relevant circumstances concerning how her death occurred, and the particulars needed to register her death under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1999. I do not consider that the holding of a public inquest hearing would elicit any important information further to that disclosed by the investigations conducted by me.
Before I conclude this matter, I wish to convey my sincere condolences to the family of Ms Wood.
Dated: The 20 June 2013 at Hobart in the state of Tasmania.