A nurse who died in a head-on crash while transporting a patient during an emergency made a driver error and fatigue was unlikely to have been a factor, a West Australian coroner has found. Gonda Alexandra Smith was a remote area nurse at a clinic in Nullagine, in the state’s Pilbara region, in July 2012 when the accident happened. Coroner Sarah Linton said while fatigue could not be entirely eliminated as a contributing factor to the collision, the evidence generally suggested it was unlikely. She found the major contributing factor to the crash was Ms Smith’s decision to drive centrally in the road over a crest. “If fatigue played a part in her decision to do so, it would appear to have been a minor one,” she said. “The evidence more strongly supports the conclusion that she did so because this was her customary manner of driving, based upon her experience in driving in such road conditions, and she did not anticipate encountering any traffic at that time of night in that remote area.” By all accounts, Ms Smith was a skilled, diligent and conscientious nurse, the coroner said. “The circumstances of the deceased’s death reflect her willingness to go above and beyond to help others,” she said. Ms Linton said Main Roads WA had taken the few steps possible to improve the road surrounding the crest to reduce the likelihood of a similar collision occurring.
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