Coroner finds death of teen Afrikah Philp during police pursuit was tragic but not preventable

A coroner has delivered findings into the “tragic” Seaford Meadows death of a teenager who was fleeing in a stolen car moments before she crashed.

The scene of the October 6, 2017 crash at the intersections of South Rd and Seaford Rd, Seaford Meadows. Picture: Roy Vandervegt

The death of a teenager who died after crashing into a wall while fleeing police in a stolen car was “tragic” but “not preventable”, a coroner has found.

Coroner Naomi Kereru handed down findings into the death of Afrikah Rose Pearl Philp, 17, on Thursday.

She found Ms Philp, who was under the guardianship of the minister prior to her death, had died from injuries sustained in the October 6, 2017 crash at Seaford Meadows about 5am.

Afrikah Philp. Picture: Supplied.

At the time of the crash, police had been pursuing Ms Philp for about four minutes in a bid to apprehend her after detecting her speeding at 79km/h in a 60km/h zone on Main South Rd, Morphett Vale.

Her boyfriend Dylan Maddison, who had cut off his home detention bracelet in the hours prior, was a passenger in the blue Ford Falcon sedan which the couple had stolen from a Davoren Park address.

Ms Kereru said the officer who pursued the car “estimated that prior to detecting the speed of the vehicle, it had been travelling between 95km/h and 105km/h”.

He reached a maximum speed of 149km/h while pursuing Ms Philp, while Mr Maddison later told police he recalled the car’s speedometer reaching between 150km/h to 160km/h.

Ms Kereru noted that just before the crash, at the intersection of Main South Rd and Seaford Rd, the Ford sedan “was observed to attempt a right-hand turn at high speed, lose control and collide with a concrete retaining wall”.

Afrikah Phil was fleeing police in a stolen Ford sedan when she crashed into a retaining wall outside Bunnings at Seaford Meadows. Picture: Roy Vandervegt

Ms Philp died in hospital two weeks after the crash on October 20, 2017. Her injuries had been deemed “non-survivable”.

The inquest was mandatory because her death was considered a “death in police custody”.

At the time of her death, toxicology reports revealed she had methylamphetamine in her system, along with therapeutic amounts of ketamine and quetiapine.

Ms Kereru found, in line with a Significant Incident Investigation undertaken by police, that the pursuing officers actions “were appropriate” and complied with the SA Police General Orders.

“I find that Ms Philp’s death, while tragic, was not preventable,” she said.

Ms Kereru did not make any recommendations.