Inquest into the death of AC (name redacted)
Demographics
30y, male
Date of death
2014-03-23
Finding date
2015-08-05
Cause of death
Electrocution and multiple injuries from contact with high voltage arcing electricity from transmission tower, with resultant fall
AI-generated summary
AC, a 30-year-old man, died from electrocution and traumatic injuries after climbing a high-voltage transmission tower during a police traffic stop in Wagga Wagga. He was speeding and became extremely distressed when advised his vehicle would be impounded and licence suspended. He had methylamphetamine in his system and appeared to be in psychological distress. After climbing to a power line on the tower despite barbed wire barriers and warning signs, he was struck by arcing electricity while standing with arms raised and fell fatally. The incident lasted 12 minutes. Police response was appropriate and professional; de-energising the lines would have required at least one hour. Coroner identified systemic failures in police emergency procedures: the police radio operator drop-down menu did not include Transgrid (NSW's transmission company), hindering rapid line de-energisation. Recommendations focus on updating police contact procedures and emergency protocols with major electricity providers.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- Methylamphetamine use affecting judgment
- Depression and low mood
- Psychological distress
- Vehicle impoundment and licence suspension trigger
- Police radio operator contact procedures did not include Transgrid
- Absence of rapid line de-energisation capability
- Impulsive decision-making to climb tower
- Brief incident duration (12 minutes) precluding negotiator arrival or line de-energisation
Coroner's recommendations
- Amend Standard Operating Procedures for Police radio operators to include contact details for all major electricity companies: Ausgrid, Endeavour, Essential and Transgrid
- Amend Standard Operating Procedures to instruct radio operators to obtain and communicate: exact location of tower/pole, identifying numbers of tower and power lines (from notices on tower), and whether wires are strung pole-to-pole or pole/tower-to-building
- Amend police radio drop-down Resources Menu to include contact details or shortcut telephone numbers for Ausgrid, Essential, Endeavour and Transgrid
- Transgrid to consider, if reasonably practicable, implementing automatic incoming call identification system for police and emergency services to expedite verification of emergency de-energisation requests
Full text
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