A coroner has been unable to determine why an elderly woman veered off the road in the seconds before a fatal crash on Bruny Island last year.
Zena Kay Penney, 86, passed away on March 30, 2023, while driving home on the island south of Hobart, having run errands in Kingston.
Coroner Olivia McTaggart said the evidence indicated Penney was driving south, having just passed The Neck and was travelling below the 90km/h speed limit, when she lost control of her car and crashed into a large tree.
Passing motorists stopped to help before an ambulance arrived, however Penney was declared deceased at the scene.
“She was the holder of a driver’s licence, although her fitness to drive was undergoing assessment … at the time of her death,” McTaggart said
“This assessment was precipitated by Mrs Penney crashing her car into a vehicle in front of her on the Channel Highway in Margate on 22 February 2023.”
The coroner said Penney had visited her doctor six days before the crash, who advised her she should limit her driving to Bruny Island only until an offical assessment was completed.
“The official notice from the Registrar of Motor Vehicles imposing this interim driving restriction was sent to Mrs Penney on 29 March 2023 and it is unlikely that she received it prior to her death,” McTaggart said.
Penney did not apply her brakes or accelerate before the crash and was wearing her seatbelt at the time.
McTaggart said it was unable to be determined if a medical event had occurred, mentioning that “fatigue or distraction” could have also played a role in the crash.
“I am not able to positively determine the reason why the crash occurred but I am satisfied that Mrs Penney died as a result of sustaining serious injuries as a result of it,” she said.
“I convey my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Mrs Penney.”
