Backflip by police months after bride’s Hamilton Island death as husband charged

A major backflip by police in the month’s following a woman’s Hamilton Island honeymoon death resulted in her husband being charged.

Police initially claimed there was “no indication” dangerous driving was a factor after a newlywed bride was killed in a freak golf buggy accident on Hamilton Island earlier this year.

Robbie Morgan, 30, and Marina Morgan, 29, were celebrating their honeymoon in Queensland when their golf buggy overturned while doing a U-turn June 20.

Ms Morgan suffered critical injuries and died at the scene.

Mr Morgan was driving at the time and did not suffer any physical injuries.

The Sydney couple had just tied the knot 10 days earlier in a lavish ceremony at Doltone House, overlooking Hyde Park.

Robbie and Marina Morgan celebrating at their wedding. Picture: Robbie Morgan/Facebook

Mr Morgan has been charged in relation to his wife’s death. Picture: Facebook

On Wednesday, Queensland Police announced that Mr Morgan had been charged in relation to his wife’s death.

He is facing charges of driving without due care and attention causing death, failure to wear an approved seatbelt by the driver, failure to wear an approved seatbelt by the passenger and using a mobile phone.

The Sydney man will appear before Proserpine Magistrates Court on December 5.

Golf buggies are the main mode of transport around the 740 hectares of Hamilton Island, with occupants required to wearing their individual seatbelts at all times.

These charges follow an extensive investigation by police, who initially labelled the situation “just a tragic accident”.

“There may have been some inexperience driving those type of vehicles while turning it has rolled on its side and the woman has fallen out and sustained life-threatening injuries,” Queensland Police Inspector Anthony Cowan told the media in the day’s following Ms Morgan’s death.

“It was just a tragic accident with a golf buggy.”

Inspector Cowan did confirm at the time that Ms Morgan was not wearing a seatbelt when the accident occurred.

“It appears there was no seatbelt worn at this point in time; we come back to the Fatal Five, but now is not the time to dwell on what they should have done,” he said.

Police said the crash was most likely caused by a U-turn performed after the buggy started to lose battery power.

Ms Morgan suffered critical injuries after the gold buggy and she and her husband were in overturned. Picture: Robbie Morgan/Facebook

‘The good die young’

Following he death, Ms Morgan’s husband, friends and family all paid heartfelt tributes to her.

Six days after her passing, Mr Morgan wrote on Facebook that his world had been “shattered” by the death of his “angel” wife.

“My heart is broken and my world shattered with the tragic loss of the most beautiful girl in the world. my angel. my saint. my wife,” he wrote alongside a picture of the pair at their wedding.

“I will love you forever and ever and EVER!”

Mr Morgan said his wife was his rock, partner, saint and his “everything”.

“The world will never be the same,” he said.

Mr Morgan’s brother Matty said the 29-year-old’s passing was “proof that the good die young”.

“From the moment I met you, I knew you were the one for my brother,” he wrote in an emotional Instagram post.

“Your kind, gentle nature is a testament to the type of person you are, and is proof that the good die young.”

On June 25, the brother of Ms Morgan, Mark Hanna, said his sister would “never be forgotten”.

“Her beautiful soul, gorgeous smile and caring nature will always be remembered, and hopefully burn within us forever,” he said in a Facebook post.

“Sis I hope that you felt the amount of love️ that I have for you while you were on this earth, I did my best to make you feel that way when ever we were together over the last 29 years.”

A funeral service was held for Ms Morgan on July 2 at St. Mary & St. Merkorious Coptic Orthodox Church in Rhodes, which was followed by a burial at Rookwood cemetery.

This is one of the last photos Ms Morgan sent her brother. Picture: Mark Hanna/Facebook

Family and friends gather at the funeral of Marina Morgan.

CPR performed for 35 minutes

A doctor, off-duty dentist and off-duty firefighter were some of the first people on the scene following the tragic incident.

They battled to save Ms Morgan’s life, performing CPR for 35 minutes after she went into cardiac arrest.

Graeme McIntyre, Queensland Ambulance Service acting director for the Mackay District, said a paramedic arrived on the scene within minutes to find the woman off the road and placed in a “lateral position to clear her airway”.

“[She] was in cardiac arrest and along with a number of first-aiders on the island – an off-duty dentist, off-duty fire officer, and doctor from the island – performed resuscitation for 35 minutes without success,” Mr McIntyre said.

Mr McIntyre said the scenes were “confronting” for first responders on the scene.

“It was very confronting especially on Hamilton Island and in this instance we have to wait with the deceased person until police are able to collect the person,” he said.

“So it is quite confronting emotionally for paramedics involved.”