A coroner has found that a young man killed in a motorcycle crash in 2021 was more than four times the legal alcohol limit and speeding at the time of the crash.
The unidentified Launceston man was seen overtaking vehicles at about 200km/h before the November crash, estimated to have been travelling at a minimum of 164km/h when he lost control of his motorcycle and collided with a power pole on the Midlands Highway.
Coroner Robert Webster said the man had been drinking at a pub in the lead-up to the crash and had a blood alcohol content of 0.209.
The victim had 29 prior traffic infringements, 19 of which were due to speeding and had been disqualified from driving on multiple occasions.
The motorcycle involved in the crash had defects, including a rear tire with no tread, but the coroner ruled that the man’s intoxication and speeding were the leading causes of the accident.
“Had he been riding at or about the speed limit and with no alcohol in his blood then the defects identified … would not have resulted in [him] crashing his motorcycle,” Coroner Webster said.
“The design and/or condition of the highway did not cause or contribute to this crash in any way.”
“This case serves as yet another reminder that driving with an excessive blood alcohol concentration and/or at excessive speed can have very tragic consequences.”
