A coroner has found the driver of a garbage truck that hit and killed a four-year-old boy in Launceston could not have seen him before the fatal accident.
Bronson John Bannister Williams was riding his bicycle in front of his house in Bishops Drive in the suburb of Newnham when he was run over by a garbage truck in January last year.
He had been riding his bike on the road and the footpath in and around the garbage truck before the accident.
He died at the scene from head and chest injuries.
The boy had only just been to school to pick up his new uniform and was due to start kindergarten at East Tamar Primary School the following week.
In his findings, coroner Simon Cooper said the driver of the truck did not see the boy.
"Alcohol, drugs, speed and inattention did not cause or contribute to the happening of the crash.
"The truck was mechanically sound.
"Neither road nor weather conditions caused or contributed in any way to his death."
The boy was not wearing a helmet but the coroner noted that a helmet would not have saved him.
Mr Cooper did not make any recommendations.
He acknowledged the professionalism of the first responders.
Boy's death an 'unspeakable tragedy'
"I convey my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the boy," Mr Cooper said.
"His death is an unspeakable tragedy."
At he time of the fatality, Inspector Ruth Orr described it as "the most confronting scene I've attended in 25 years".
Counselling services were provided to everyone involved, including first responders.
