Driver charged following fatal caravan accident
THE driver allegedly responsible for an accident that killed eight-year-old Brettson Payne in Katherine on Sunday has been charged.
Northern Territory
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POLICE have charged the man allegedly responsible for an accident that killed eight-year-old Brettson Payne in Katherine on Sunday.
The boy was killed in a tragic accident in which is parents say he fell from a moving caravan when the door swung open.
According to police, the 31-year-old Katherine man was driving a utility towing a caravan and travelling with nine children.
The man was charged with drive a motor vehicle causing death by Major Crash detectives on Monday.
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Officer in Charge of Major Crash Investigation Unit, Detective Senior Sergeant Brendan Lindner said yesterday the driver was travelling with nine children aged between five and fourteen.
He said four of the kids were travelling unrestrained in the caravan.
“The eight-year-old boy was in the caravan and travelling along Edith Farms Rd which is 30 odd Kms north of Katherine.
“For reasons we’re yet to determine, the eight-year-old boy has fallen from the caravan.
“The incident was brought to the attention of the driver who stopped and turned around. Tragically, the boy suffered critical injuries.”
The driver is understood to be a friend of Brettson’s family, and the children were all friends from three separate families.
Sgt. Lindner said the driver acted negligently by allowing the children to be unrestrained.
“The fact that the children weren’t properly restrained is why this tragic death has occurred,”
Alcohol and drugs are not believed to be a factor at this stage.
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The 31-year-old has been served a notice to appear in Katherine Court on August 10.
Further charges are expected to be laid.
Originally published as Driver charged following fatal caravan accident