By Cpl Belinda Mepham
DEFENCE recently finished the Board of Inquiry (BOI) into the death of Corporal Jason Sturgess.

3 Bde Commander Brig David Morrison said that the BOI was a very detailed and rigorous examination of an unfortunate and tragic accident that took the life of a very good soldier.

“My condolences are offered to the family of Cpl Sturgess and to the soldiers and mates he shared his life with, a large number of those being from B Sqn 3/4 Cav Regt,” he said.

The BOI, after a period of deliberation, came to an open finding on the cause of death but it did identify some issues that are now going to be further examined.

That will include an examination into some maintenance issues in B Sqn that was found not to have been the cause of the accident.

“There’ll also be a review of seat belts and other constraints inside APCs, but that is a review that will be conducted outside of the brigade and will be examined by experts from all levels on the efficiency and the applicability of having seat belts in the APCs.

“I’d like to take the opportunity to commend the actions of the Queensland Police who provided great assistance both at the accident site and during the investigation into the accident.”

Brig Morrison said that the findings of the BOI were focused on ensuring that accidents, such as this, don’t happen in the future and that members can carry out demanding training in safe environments.

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