Goulburn Valley Taxi company charged after wheelchairs allegedly incorrectly tied down

A Goulburn Valley taxi company has been charged after two people died when their wheelchairs were allegedly not secured properly in the taxis.

A Goulburn Valley taxi company has been charged after the separate deaths of two passengers.

Echuca-Moama Taxi Group Pty Ltd has been charged with four charges of failing to ensure that customers were not exposed to health and safety risks.

The charges come after a 63-year-old woman died on February 6 2021 when her wheelchair allegedly tipped backwards while she was travelling in a taxi in Echuca.

In June last year a similar incident happened when a 75-year-old man was travelling in a taxi in Echuca and his wheelchair allegedly tipped backwards.

He was taken to hospital with a fractured sternum, where he died from complications on July 5 2021.

It’s alleged that in both incidents the company failed to provide and maintain a safe system of work and failed to train taxi drivers in line with the manufacturer’s instructions for the wheelchair tie down system.

The matter is listed for a filing hearing at the Echuca Magistrates‘ Court later this month.