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=Prison Van death provoked by racial views.=
 * reported by Alec Wiles**

Last January an Aboriginal elder known as Mr. Ward was being driven in the back of the van through the searing temperatures of The Goldfields. The air-conditioning unit was not working and the temperature inside reached 50°C. Before he died, the 46 year old from Warburton suffered third degree burns where his body touched the hot metal floor. Coroner Alistair Hope handed down his long-awaited findings on Friday. Mr. Hope said Mr. Ward died as a result of heat stroke which was caused by grossly excessive heat in the pod in the transit van taking him from Laverton to Kalgoorlie. He said Mr. Ward suffered a "terrible death" that was "wholly unnecessary and avoidable" and he died as a result of a "litany of errors". He accused the people driving the prison van of collusion and giving false evidence. The two prison van drivers were found to show no sense of sympathy towards Mr. Ward because he was Aboriginal, as they often stopped to check up on prisoners during the trip if they were white. The transportation company GSL was disgraced with the two workers and were fired immediately.