Kakadu Hwy crash survivor tells coronial inquest she heard a voice telling her ‘it’s not your time’

THE lone survivor of a horrific rollover on the Kakadu Hwy told a coronial inquest on Tuesday she was ‘dead too’ until she heard a voice telling her ‘it’s not your time’

The Nissan X-Trail crashed 80km from Pine Creek. Three died at the scene and a fourth died on the way to hospital. Picture: Nine News

THE lone survivor of a horrific rollover on the Kakadu Hwy told a coronial inquest on Tuesday she was “dead too” until she heard a voice telling her “it’s not your time”.

The woman, whose name is suppressed, pulled herself from the wreckage of a Nissan X-Trail in October last year and began walking towards Jabiru, and was picked up by a car load of tourists shortly after day break.

The inquest into the deaths of the driver and three passengers — Robin Riley, 46, Thomas Turpin, 39, Fabian Andrews, 45, and Cassandra Martin, 32 — will focus on the condition of the highway.

Senior Constable David Wrigglesworth told the inquest 18 corners in the 18km between the crash site and the Mary River Roadhouse were “suboptimal”.

Sen Const. Wrigglesworth’s investigation found the X-Trail stayed within its lane but hit gravel that had been moved onto the bitumen at the intersection of the highway and the dirt road to Bubukluk lookout.

“We were concerned (about the road) because this wasn’t the only curve we had noticed on the way to the scene,” Sen Const. Wrigglesworth said.

The inquest, at Darwin Local Court, continues

The driver’s blood alcohol content was 0.27 — nearly six times the legal limit for driving — and the survivor told the inquest everyone in the four-wheel-drive had been drinking heavily before the crash.

Not one of the back seatbelts had any signs of being used, Const. Wrigglesworth said.

The highway has a speed limit of 110km/h, but under Australian Standards should have carried an advisory speed limit of 90km/h.

The surviving woman said the driver was speeding before the crash, with the odometer reading between 120km/h and 160km/h.

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“I started praying as he was speeding, I kept praying,” she said.

After the crash, the woman kissed the driver on the forehead, said goodbye and began walking for help, using her bra as a makeshift sling.

“I followed that white line until day break,” she said.

She said she blacked out as soon as the tourists picked her up, around 12km from the crash site.

Coroner Greg Cavanagh said the Infrastructure Department’s response to the crash “shows an attitude that’s not to be commended”.

The inquest continues.