A CORONER has described the death of a Walla woman in a car crash near Culcairn earlier this year as “a sad, tragic and regretfully unexplained accident”.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Carlene Kuhle, 36, died when the car she was driving hit trees after leaving the Holbrook-Culcairn Road on January 21.
Albury coroner Tony Murray has dispensed with holding an inquest and said there were no suspicious or unusual circumstances which would warrant further investigation in the context of a court hearing.
“I am of the view that an inquest will not lead to any recommendation that would assist with the prevention of future deaths of a similar kind and it does not raise issues of general public health or safety,” Mr Murray said.
Ms Kuhle died from multiple injuries after her vehicle went down an embankment about two kilometres east of Culcairn and hit trees.
She had spoken to her partner, Herbert Coyle, about 7.20am and said she was leaving work at the UPA Holbrook Village Hostel.
She had worked a night shift which started at 10.30pm.
A police crime scene investigator said motorists travel a long straight stretch of road for more than a kilometre before entering a sweeping right-hand bend near the Culcairn cemetery.
The bitumen road has gravel shoulders leading to predominantly grassed table drains.
But there is a line of mature pepper trees running generally parallel to the road where the accident happened.
An officer from the police engineering section did a forensic examination on the early model Ford Fairmont which belonged to Mr Coyle.
They found it had no mechanical defects or component failure.
All the damage to the vehicle was consistent with coming from the impact with the trees.
Mr Murray said Ms Kuhle had been wearing a seatbelt and there was no evidence she was travelling at excessive speed.
He said there were no skid marks on the bitumen or route of travel to where the car stopped nor any apparent attempt to take evasive action before hitting the trees.