{"id":89745,"date":"2025-02-20T04:40:43","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T19:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=89745"},"modified":"2025-02-20T04:40:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T19:10:43","slug":"solar-panel-death-charges-mb3121","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-death-charges-mb3121\/","title":{"rendered":"Driver Charged Over Solar Panel Death"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Driver<\/p>\n

Whether on the roof of a caravan or towed in a trailer, a tragedy involving a solar panel serves as a grim reminder about ensuring PV modules are properly stowed or attached.<\/p>\n

With a large surface area, solar panels are effectively heavy kites with sharp corners.<\/p>\n

On the evening of December 8, 2024, a 49-year-old Canberra man was driving east along Burley Griffin Way at Galong near Yass when an item reportedly came loose from a passing caravan<\/a>, smashing the windscreen and striking him in the head. While not mentioned in the original report, the item was a solar panel. Sadly, he died before emergency services arrived.<\/p>\n

This week, a 32-year-old male driver from Church Point, Sydney was charged with unsafely driving a loaded trailer causing death in relation to the matter.<\/p>\n

The ABC states<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“Police allege Mr Talukder was struck by a solar panel that became dislodged from a portable power station being towed in the other direction.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Whether it was attached to a caravan or a portable power station in a trailer, that it allegedly wasn’t properly secured remains.<\/p>\n

The driver will appear at Young Local Court in April.<\/p>\n

Other Fatalities And Too Many Near Misses<\/h2>\n

In October 2020<\/a>, three people lost their lives near Ross in Tasmania and four were hospitalised after a driver lost control while trying to avoid solar panels that had come off a caravan towed in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

Four deaths (at least) and multiple injuries is shocking, but it’s a small miracle more people haven’t been killed on Australian roads by wayward solar panels. Aside from these tragic fatalities, there have been multiple near misses of this nature, and just one is too many. A couple of examples:<\/p>\n

In December 2020<\/a>, a solar panel came adrift from the roof of a caravan near Eastern Creek in Western Sydney.<\/p>\n