A drunk driver who sped the wrong way along Hobart’s Brooker Highway died when she collided head-on with another car, a coroner has determined.
The woman was more than four times over the legal alcohol limit when she crashed her green Mazda on the night of October 9, 2023.
Two people in the other car were injured.
Coroner Leigh Mackey found the 51-year-old entered the highway from the Risdon Road intersection around 9pm, then veered into the northbound lanes and drove south into oncoming traffic.
She was travelling well above the 80km/h limit, with her speedometer stuck at 115km/h after the crash.
Six vehicles heading north managed to avoid her.
She braked and changed lanes to dodge them but never stopped, slowed down, turned around or switched on her hazard lights.
A concrete barrier between the lanes stopped her from getting back to the correct side of the road.
The Mazda then collided with a Volkswagen Tiguan carrying a woman and her daughter, who was in the front passenger seat.
The wrong-way driver died at the scene from multiple head, chest, pelvic and limb injuries.
Coroner Mackey found the other driver was not at fault.
Toxicology testing recorded the woman’s blood alcohol concentration at 0.217g/100ml.
A doctor who reviewed her medical records concluded her alcohol use was a more likely contributor to her death than her history of not taking medication for bipolar disorder and depression.
Coroner Mackey also considered whether the crash was intentional.
She found it was not and determined the driving was caused or at least contributed to by the woman’s intoxication.
If this story has raised concerns for you, support is available at Lifeline on 13 11 14.
