Inquest into the death of Michael JOHNSON
Deceased
Michael Johnson
Demographics
27y, male
Date of death
2014-06-20
Finding date
2016-11-01
Cause of death
traumatic asphyxia
AI-generated summary
Michael Johnson, 27, died from traumatic asphyxia after his car rolled on a rural property. He was trapped under the vehicle with the car's pillar compressing his chest. Bystanders called 000, and following operator instructions, did not lift the vehicle. Police and ambulance arrived; the paramedic requested bystanders lift the car to allow extraction. Three medical experts all concluded traumatic asphyxia was the primary cause, with death occurring within minutes. The inquest found no deficiency in the decision not to move the vehicle before ambulance arrival, which was appropriate advice without emergency responders present. A CT scan was not performed; autopsy findings including skull X-rays were deemed sufficient. The evidence supports that lifting the vehicle earlier may not have altered the outcome given the rapid course of the asphyxia.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- vehicle rolled trapping deceased beneath it
- car pillar compressed chest
- rapid onset asphyxia
- alcohol consumption prior to driving
Full text
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