Coroner's Finding: Zane Robert Hill
Deceased
Zane Robert Hill
Demographics
2y, male
Date of death
2009-11-28
Finding date
2011-10-26
Cause of death
drowning
AI-generated summary
Zane Robert Hill, aged 2 years 6 months, drowned in an unfenced portable swimming pool at his home in Yarrawonga, NSW on 28 November 2009. During a family dinner, the inquisitive toddler left the table unobserved and accessed the backyard pool, likely using an adjacent slippery dip or chair to enter the water. Despite immediate CPR and rapid hospital resuscitation, he could not be revived. The coroner found the parents were caring and responsible, with no evidence of gross neglect. Key contributing factors identified were: brief breakdown in supervision, absence of required pool fencing under the NSW Pools Act, and presence of access aids. The coroner emphasized poor community knowledge of pool safety regulations as a significant systemic issue. Recommendations included: supporting mandatory warnings on portable pools and their packaging, and developing a coordinated state-wide education campaign about Pools Act requirements. No clinical errors were identified; hospital staff and ambulance crew provided appropriate care.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- breakdown in supervision
- absence of required pool fencing under NSW Pools Act
- presence of access aids to pool (slippery dip and chair)
- young age and lack of swimming ability
Coroner's recommendations
- NSW Government support ACCC efforts to introduce mandatory warnings on portable swimming pools and packaging, reminding consumers of need for constant supervision and local government approval
- NSW Government develop an education campaign about Pools Act safety requirements, with emphasis on portable swimming pools purchased from retailers and assembled by consumers
Full text
Related cases
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —