A coroner has determined that a young man’s “racing line” through a curve on a rural road north of Hobart was responsible for the death of a newspaper delivery driver in a recent inquest.
John Tscherkaskyj, 56, died in August 2021 at the scene of the head-on collision on Gordon River Road while out on his nightly ‘West Coast’ paper run, a job he had held for nearly a decade.
Coroner Robert Webster revealed that Kobe McCauley, the P-plate driver of the other vehicle, denied knowingly veering onto the wrong side of the road and claimed to have no memory of why he was there.
McCauley and his passenger sustained serious injuries in the early-morning crash and were rushed to the Royal Hobart Hospital in critical condition.
“[Crash investigators] noted Mr McCauley’s vehicle was on the incorrect side of the roadway when the collision occurred. Mr McCauley had up until this inquest, as is his right, declined to make a statement and explain why this was so,” Webster said.
“McCauley held an active P1 licence which was issued on 11 January 2021 and which expired on 10 January 2024 and therefore he had less than 7 months of unsupervised driving experience prior to this collision.”
“[Crash investigators are] of the opinion this accident occurred when Mr McCauley took what is known as a racing line through the curve thereby crossing the centre line and driving into the northbound lane occupied by Mr Tscherkaskyj’s vehicle and this led to the collision.”
“Speed did not cause or contribute to the collision. The condition of the vehicles also did not cause or contribute to the collision.”
Coroner Webster said McCauley’s blood sample tested negative for alcohol or illicit drugs.
He said the vision of both drivers was obstructed by a “row of conifer trees”, making it impossible for either driver to avoid the crash.
“Had Mr McCauley maintained his vehicle’s position in the southbound lane, the collision would not have occurred,” he said.
McCauley received a suspended five-month prison sentence for negligently causing Tscherkaskyj’s death and causing grievous bodily harm to his passenger.
He was also disqualified from driving and ordered to cover court costs.
Tscherkaskyj died at the scene from multiple head, chest and limb injuries. He left behind his wife and 13 children.
