Deceased
Christopher Limerick
Demographics
20y, male
Date of death
2000-10-08
Finding date
2001-10-16
Cause of death
Unable to be determined. Death likely resulted from exposure following a fall while descending into disused open-cut mine.
AI-generated summary
Christopher Limerick, a 20-year-old Aboriginal man with alcohol dependency, was found dead at the bottom of Noble's Nob open-cut mine near Tennant Creek. Despite extensive investigation, the cause of death could not be determined due to body decomposition. The coroner found he likely became intoxicated and was transported to the mine site involuntarily during the night of 6-7 October 2000. He then descended the access road seeking water the following day, fell among rocks and boulders, and died from exposure. Key clinical lessons include the importance of recognising vulnerability in intoxicated individuals with dehydration and disorientation, the failure of a health professional to respond appropriately to an obviously distressed person, and the need for thorough police searches when persons are reported missing in remote areas. Mr Ashley Frost, a newly appointed health professional, encountered the deceased at the mine lookout but failed to offer assistance or report the concerning encounter to police.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Clinical conditions
44y · Female·Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy complicating cardiac arrest in the setting of p…
Elizabeth Ferris, a 44-year-old woman with schizoaffective disorder and polysubstance use disorder, died from hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy following cardiac arrest in the setting of presumed drug toxicity. She was fo…
40y · Male·Unascertained
Nathan James Taylor, aged 40, died in Port Lincoln Prison on 24 March 2022 while in custody pending trial on witness interference charges. He had significant medical history including infective endocarditis with tricuspi…
35y · Male·Methylamphetamine toxicity; chronic hepatitis as contributing factor
Phi Long Dang, a 35-year-old Vietnamese man remanded at Fulham Correctional Centre on drug trafficking charges, died from methylamphetamine toxicity on 4 August 2024. During a visit on 3 August, he likely ingested a ball…
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 —