NT road toll 2024: Reports released into Roper and Arnhem Hwy crashes, which killed six

A toxic combination of “f---ed” roads and “dodgy corners” with boozy, lead-footed drivers has resulted in the Territory being on track to record one of the worst road death tolls in more than a decade.

Coroner Elisabeth Armitage released two coronial reports detailing the final moments of six Territorians who were killed across two separate single vehicle crashes. Picture: Zizi Averill

A toxic combination of “f---ed” roads and “dodgy corners” with boozy, lead-footed drivers has resulted in the Territory being on track to record one of the worst road death tolls in more than a decade.

Coroner Elisabeth Armitage released two coronial reports detailing the final moments of six Territorians who were killed across two separate single vehicle crashes this year.

The first crash on February 3 claimed the lives of four senior members of the Jilkminggan community after their car rolled while on a “dodgy corner” on the Roper Highway.

Ms Armitage said first responders found four bodies thrown up to 15m from the rolled Corolla, while open and unopened VB cans were strewn across the scene.

A 53-year-old male driver, his 57-year-old partner, a 57-year-old and a 63-year-old woman were all killed when their Corolla rolled off the Roper Highway on February 3, 2024.

She said the 53-year-old male driver his 57-year-old female partner, and two women aged 63 and 57 were all killed.

The sole survivor was a 27-year-old.

Hours earlier the group were repeatedly warned not to make the drive from Mataranka to Minyerri, as all five were drunk after picking up at least one carton of VB heavy beers.

The forensic pathologist estimates the driver had a blood alcohol reading of 0.28, six times the legal limit.

Ms Armitage said the packed car was speeding down the Roper Highway at 159km/h — 49km/h over the limit — when it approached the curve in the road, drifted and rolled three times.

A 53-year-old male driver, his 57-year-old partner, a 57-year-old and a 63-year-old woman were all killed when their Corolla rolled off the Roper Highway on February 3, 2024.

No one in the car was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, and all were ejected.

The nearby Strangways Station manager told police she also considered the crash location as being on a “dodgy corner”, saying the “whole road’s quite dangerous”.

A 53-year-old male driver, his 57-year-old partner, a 57-year-old and a 63-year-old woman were all killed when their Corolla rolled off the Roper Highway on February 3, 2024.

A similar fatal combination of speed, road quality and alcohol were identified in the second crash, on March 28.

Ms Armitage said three work mates who had stopped to drink a few middys on a fishing break on the South Alligator River piled back into the work van.

She said the van was travelling 164km/h — 34km/h over the limit — when it swerved off the Arnhem Hwy, hit a mound of dirt and became airborne.

A 30-year-old driver and his 27-year-old work mate were killed after their van swerved off the Arnhem Highway on March 28, 2024.

The van hit a tree, rolled and landed on its roof before coming to rest 20m off the highway.

A 20-year-old was able to escape, only to watch as the 30-year-old driver and his 27-year-old passenger were trapped as the van caught alight and was engulfed in flames.

The sole surviving passenger said the road was “f---ed”, and others witnesses described the Arnhem Hwy as in generally poor condition, with potholes that require evasive action.

Ms Armitage said while the driver had been drinking, crash experts determined he was likely below the legal limit.

A 30-year-old driver and his 27-year-old work mate were killed after their van swerved off the Arnhem Highway on March 28, 2024.

Ms Armitage said it was “not surprising” that 41 per cent of fatal crashes in the Territory involved alcohol, while a third were due to speeding or the lack of seatbelts.

The NT is on track to record its worst road toll in a more than a decade, with 52 people losing their lives to fatal crashes in 2024 so far.

Police and politicians described this year’s road toll as “disgraceful” and “outrageous”.

“It is hoped that by making findings about the circumstances of these deaths public, this will improve individual and agency awareness as to the causes of road fatalities, with the ultimate objective of saving lives and reducing the road death toll in the future,” Ms Armitage said.

NT drivers are three times more likely to die on the roads than the average Australian.

The Territory lost an average of 40 people a year to crashes, while another 470 survivors were left with serious injuries.