Coroner calls for mandatory warning sensors on trucks following pedestrian deaths

THE CORONER has once again called for warning sensors to be fitted to all large trucks in a bid to save lives following the deaths of several pedestrians from heavy vehicle collisions.

THE coroner has called for warning sensors to be fitted to cabover trucks following the death of an 88-year-old man after he was hit near Camberwell Junction two years ago.

It comes as data from the Coroners Prevention Unit revealed there were 80 pedestrian deaths from truck collisions between January 1 2000 and October 31 2016, with 42 of these found to have occurred because the truck driver was unable to see the pedestrian.

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State Coroner Audrey Jamieson said similar recommendations had been made on at least three other occasions following probes into earlier pedestrian fatalities, including the death of 23-year-old cafe worker Josie Edden in 2015 when she tripped and fell into the path of a garbage truck early one morning while rushing to work at a Collins St cafe.

Then in July 2016, Eugene Twining was struck by a large truck as he dashed across Burke Rd against the lights.

Mr Twining suffered multiple pelvic fractures and later developed a kidney infection.

He died in hospital two days after the smash.

In his statement to the Coroners Court, truck driver Patrick Bombaci said he was hauling a load of soil north along Burke Rd from Glen Iris when he stopped at pedestrian lights near the junction.

Mr Bombaci said he had stopped “around the line where the pedestrians cross, past the thicker line where I was meant to stop”.

He said he then took off slowly when the light turned green, and had edged forward about half a metre when he heard people yelling at him to stop. He then looked out his driver’s side window to see Mr Twining on the ground near his front tyre.

Mr Bombaci was last year fined $1000 by the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for unlicensed driving, because his heavy vehicle licence had expired prior to the accident.

State Coroner Audrey Jamieson said all cabover heavy vehicles larger than 4.5 tonnes should be fitted with front and side warning sensors to prevent further pedestrian deaths.

“It is both unsatisfactory social behaviour and a breach of the law to drive unlicensed, however it is the design of the cab that caused Mr Bombaci to be unable to see Mr Twining,” she said.

“It is apparent that more needs to be done to progress improvement in this area.”

Coroner Jamieson found Mr Bombaci had been unable to see Mr Twining from the driver’s seat primarily because of the design of his vehicle.

“This issue and its inherent dangers has been identified in a number of coronial findings (and) the Transport Injury Safety Group, VicRoads and the Victorian Transport Association have … indicated their willingness for change which may improve pedestrian safety,” Coroner Jamieson said.

A working group had been previously formed to identify truck design features and technologies that could improve drivers’ visibility of vulnerable road users, she said, and the results of the review would be released at a later date.

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