Coronial
QLDhome

Plint, Hannah Isabella Alyson

Deceased

Hannah Isabella Alyson Plint

Demographics

2y, female

Coroner

Ryan

Date of death

2007-10-04

Finding date

2008-12-22

Cause of death

Drowning in an above-ground swimming pool

AI-generated summary

Hannah Plint, a 2½-year-old, died from drowning after accessing an above-ground pool by dragging a chair to the gate and opening it unsupervised. Her mother was inside with a younger sibling. The pool fence and gate separately complied with Australian Standards, but the pool's positioning behind the fence rendered the fencing non-compliant. The timber deck contributed to the incident by enabling access. While paramedic response (11 minutes) was timely and appropriate, basic life support could not alter the outcome—the child likely died before ambulance arrival (asystolic rhythm on arrival). Hospital management was appropriate, though family support could have been better. Key lessons: supervision remains the primary drowning prevention method; barriers alone cannot substitute for supervision; pre-purchase pool compliance inspections and approvals are essential; systematic local council pool registry and inspection programs are needed.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.

Specialties

emergency medicinepaediatricsparamedicinepublic health

Error types

systemdelay

Clinical conditions

DrowningAsystoleHypoxic brain injuryCardiac arrest

Procedures

CPREndotracheal intubationDefibrillationAirway suctioning

Contributing factors

  • Insufficient supervision—child unsupervised for approximately 5 minutes while mother was inside changing a younger sibling
  • Non-compliant pool fencing due to pool positioning behind the fence
  • Child's ability to access pool gate by dragging a plastic chair
  • Timber deck providing vantage point and access route
  • Lack of pre-purchase verification of pool compliance despite special condition in contract
  • No approval/compliance certification obtained from local council
  • Building and pest inspection report recommending full pool fence not acted upon

Coroner's recommendations

  1. Australian Standard for swimming pool gates and fences be reviewed and upgraded to include child-resistant locks incorporating both vertical and horizontal locking mechanisms
  2. All local authorities adopt a system to identify all properties with both inground and above-ground swimming pools within their areas
  3. All local authorities be required by legislation to institute regular inspections of swimming pools and surrounding structures to ensure owner compliance
  4. Real Estate Institute of Queensland and Queensland Law Society review the standard property sale contract to include a mandatory condition requiring a certificate of compliance and clearance from the local authority before settlement of any property with a swimming pool
Full text
Official source Archived copy

Related cases from QLD

QLD2026-04-24

Findings of the Inquest into the death of Benjamin Freear

40y · Male·Gunshot wound to neck

Benjamin Freear, aged 40, died from a gunshot wound to the neck sustained during a police siege on 8 December 2019 in rural Queensland. He had been diagnosed with ADHD in April 2018 and prescribed dexamphetamine by psych…

psychiatrygeneral practicesystemdextroamphetamine
QLDhospital2026-04-14

Inquest into the death of Francis Michael Fahey

70y · Male·Metastatic melanoma with ischaemic heart disease as a contributing condition

Francis Michael Fahey, a 70-year-old prisoner, died from metastatic melanoma with contributing ischaemic heart disease. He presented with a rapidly enlarging axillary mass in February 2023, confirmed as metastatic melano…

oncologygeneral medicinesystemdelayimmunotherapy
QLD2026-03-31

Inquest into the death of Kyle James Gallagher

22y · Male·Airway obstruction due to laryngeal abscess and laryngeal chondronecrosis due to…

Kyle Gallagher, age 22, died from airway obstruction due to laryngeal abscess and chondronecrosis following a motorcycle accident. A CT scan on 13 July 2023 showed a critically narrowed (3mm) subglottic airway with suspe…

ENT surgeryradiologydiagnosticcommunicationdiazepam

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. Some material may have been redacted or restricted by court order or privacy requirements. 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 — report an inaccuracy here.