Coroner hands down findings in tragic youth deaths of Jacob Donohue and Will Oliver

A coroner has handed down her findings after two teenagers died from a tragic road crash, while navigating roadworks at night through Oatlands. What the coroner found >>

Telita's Jacob Donohue, 19, tragically died in a head-on collision at Oatlands. Picture: Facebook

A coroner has handed down her findings after two teenagers died from a tragic road crash at Oatlands.

Good friends Jacob Allan Donohue and Will Cecil Oliver, both 19, died in October 2022.

In her findings published on Monday, Coroner Olivia McTaggart said Mr Donohue, of Telita, accidentally drove his Kia on the wrong side of the road through roadworks.

They had a head-on collision with a truck, a prime mover with an unladen 45-foot trailer attached, with Mr Donohue dying at the scene and Mr Oliver passing away the next day at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

Ms McTaggart said the two young men had become friends while students at Cressy District School.

On the night in question, Mr Donohue – who was known as a responsible driver – had travelled to Hobart Airport to collect Mr Oliver, who had since moved to Western Australia.

The pair was planning to travel to the north of the state to attend Mr Donohue’s mother’s 40th birthday party.

After stopping in at Bridgewater McDonald’s, the pair continued north about midnight on October 14.

Last picture together: Will Oliver and Jacob Donohue. Picture: Supplied

“Whilst navigating roadworks to the north of Oatlands, Mr Donohue unintentionally manoeuvred his vehicle to the incorrect side of the road and began to drive north in the southbound lanes,” Ms McTaggart said.

“At the point at which he did so, it was raining and dark with no overhead street lighting.”

Ms McTaggart said deviations in the road were marked with orange reflective billboards, witches’ hats, speed reduction signage and lane deviation signage.

Also present were a wire diving fence, lanes separated by painted double white audible centre-lines, a large “Keep Left” sign and a “No Entry/Wrong Way” sign on the right road edge.

Tragically, Mr Donohue accidentally crossed over, with Ms McTaggart noting the rainy weather, the darkness and presence of the orange roadworks posts in the left lane may have contributed to this occurring.

The driver of the truck said he had insufficient time to avoid a crash when he realised the car was on his side of the dividing barrier.

Both young men were wearing seatbelts and neither had consumed alcohol.

Ms McTaggart found the roadworks were marked and configured appropriately.

“I note that an independent audit found that the signage was clear but recommended that at the point of transition from the end of the roadworks to the existing road, arrows be painted in the lane to mark direction of travel,” she said.

Follow @ambervwilson