Collapsed motorway sign victim to sue installer

The driver of a car that was hit by a four-tonne falling motorway sign on the Tullamarine Freeway is suing the sign contractor CPB, as well as VicRoads and Transurban, for damages.

The five metre by four metre road sign that crushed Nella Letterei’s car on the Tullamarine freeway collapsed due to a missing plate stiffener, which was not seen, as compulsory safety checks were missed, according to a VicRoads report into the incident.

Ms Letterei, 57, is claiming the incident, which took place almost two years ago, left her with severe injuries, psychological trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She alleges the three entities were all negligent in their actions on a total of ten occasions between them.

The VicRoads report into the incident said an essential stiffener plate was missing from the structure, which led to a progressive fatigue crack that eventually saw the sign plunge onto the car. Following an urgent review of 60 other sites another two signs were also found to be missing the plates. The signs were promptly removed from the freeway.

In the report, VicRoads also confirmed that weaknesses were found in quality control and that necessary inspections of the equipment were not carried out.

The sign and its gantry – which also fell – was installed 12 months prior to the incident as part of a widening project on the road, one of Melbourne's busiest. It was one of many installed at the time.

Road signage on major Melbourne roads is inspected visually every day and checked every six months. However, at the time of the incident, the CEO of Weld Australia, Geoff Crittendon, pointed the finger at cheap imported steel and lax welding standards, saying lives were at risk.

VicRoads has confirmed that signage company CPB Contractors, a subsidiary of the multinational Climic Group, has already devised measures to prevent a similar incident happening again.

Some of the measures include increased monitoring of offsite suppliers and subcontractors; improved processes that require subcontractors to show that fabrication, construction, and installation adhere to approved designs; and breaks in the design and construction process to allow time for verification of essential quality and safety elements.

Multiple audits by VicRoads, Major Road Projects Victoria, and Transurban have indicated that what happened to Ms Letterei was an isolated incident.