Mother-of-two four times over alcohol limit before fatal Greens Beach road crash: Coroner

The road death of a Greens Beach woman, who was four times over the legal limit when she crashed into a tree, was a stark reminder about the dangers of drink-driving, a coroner has said.

Karen Lee Elizabeth Quillerat was killed on Greens Beach Road in 2022.

The 2022 road death of a 54-year-old Greens Beach woman, who was four times over the legal blood alcohol limit when she crashed into a tree, was a stark community reminder about the dangers of speed and drink-driving, a Tasmanian coroner has said.

Karen Lee Elizabeth Quillerat was killed on Greens Beach Road in the early hours of 20 June 2022, after attempting to drive home from a 10-hour social catch-up at the Waterfront Hotel in Beauty Point.

Coroner Robert Webster said the mother of two had arrived at the pub just before 1pm on Sunday, 19 June, before spending the afternoon and evening drinking and playing eight-ball with friends.

When the group decided to leave the hotel at 11pm, Ms Quillerat gave three members a lift home before setting off alone for the 16km journey to Greens Beach.

One friend later told police he had not noticed anything unusual about Ms Quillerat’s driving, or her manner.

Coroner Webster said Ms Quillerat never made it to Greens Beach, with two passers-by locating her vehicle on the side of the road by just before 8am the next morning.

The pair immediately contacted police, and reported they thought Ms Quillerat to be deceased.

From marks left on the road, police investigators calculated that Ms Quillerat’s Toyota Camry was travelling at 137kmh in a 100kmh section of the road immediately before the crash.

Coroner Webster found that no steering input was being applied to the Camry when it travelled in a straight line through a left-hand bend.

With her car drifting into the oncoming lane, Ms Quillerat then applied “excessive” left-hand steering, causing the Toyota to spin, crash into roadside shrubs and trees, and come to rest on its roof.

A post-mortem examination revealed Ms Quillerat’s cause of death was head injury, with toxicology reports revealing a blood alcohol reading of 0.215.

Coroner Webster said alcohol’s impact on the psychomotor and cognitive functions critical for driving included reduced reaction time, coordination, information processing, and reflexes.

“There were no defects in the road surface that may have caused the crash,” he said.

“There were no defects with the vehicle that caused this crash.

“It has occurred after Ms Quillerat spent almost 10 hours at a hotel after which she chose to drive home late at night on a wet country road.

“She has returned a BAC in excess of four times the legal limit and was travelling at an excessive speed just prior to the crash.

“This is yet another reminder that drinking alcohol to excess and driving at an excessive speed has tragic consequences.”

Coroner Webster conveyed his sincere condolences to Ms Quillerat’s family and loved ones.