Features
Park operators now facing anxious wait
19th April 2008
flickr.com - aidan wojtas
The Coroner has been inquiring into the deaths of three men at the park in just over two years.
In January last year, 23-year-old Ricky Blinco was killed when his four-wheel drive went over a cliff on a steep track.
Two years earlier, Steven Desmond Binns, 28, died while riding a quad bike at the park and in June that year Michael Wayne Last, 34, was killed in a motorbike accident in the park.
A number of other people have also been seriously injured at the park, which is famous for its difficult tracks.
Coroner Michael Barnes ordered the inquest, which finished on Thursday in Brisbane, after concerns about the number of accidents at the park.
The findings will outline whether any safety issues associated with the park may have contributed to the deaths.
Motorcycling Queensland general manager Lindsay Granger said: "It was our expert testimony at the inquest that until better management strategies are put into place that it (Black Duck Valley) not continue to operate.
"Our reports are that it is a high-risk environment where the riders themselves are asked to make the judgement on certain tracks, essentially maintaining the responsibility of their own safety.
"Our affiliated clubs and private promoters have fairly stringent rules and highly developed risk management systems where, as much as it can be, we remove the risk."
The Blinco family told The Chronicle yesterday the four-day long inquest had brought back traumatic memories.
"The track Ricky took was described as impassable with 1.5 metre eroded ruts," sister Tracey Blinco said.
"Our concern is that it is still open to the public and it should be closed for further risk assessment."
Four Wheel Drive Queensland's training expert Murray Morris said accredited training might have saved the 23-year-old's life.
"Our golden rule is if in doubt stop, get out and look," Mr Morris said in reference to drivers on unfamiliar tracks.
Mr Morris, who provided testimony at the inquest, said he believed the Coroner's decision would have "far-reaching consequences" for four-wheel-driving enthusiasts in Queensland.
"If they make recommendations that council should have a greater input in terms of development applications and integral planning actions, well that brings another level of complexity and cost that provides too much of a burden and some (parks) just close up," he said.



















