Leach, Irene Clare
Deceased
Irene Clare Leach
Demographics
94y, female
Date of death
2006-03-17
Finding date
2009-09-15
Cause of death
compression of the neck
AI-generated summary
A 94-year-old woman died from neck compression after becoming trapped between a waterlift roof, her walking frame, and the ceiling of her home. The waterlift had been installed in the 1990s without compliance with relevant safety standards or design guides. The lift lacked proper safety controls, required substantial force to operate, and had experienced previous operational problems. The deceased, who had mild age-related cognitive decline, may have confused the lift's operation. The coroner found the lift design and installation largely ignored safety standards that could have eliminated the high risk of injury. Key lessons include the critical importance of compliance with safety standards for disability aids, regular maintenance and safety audits, and ensuring devices are suitable for users with declining physical and cognitive capability.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- waterlift design and installation did not comply with Australian Standards or Design Guides
- absence of risk control measures in lift mechanism
- control mechanism required excessive force to operate, beyond deceased's physical capability
- absence of safety features such as lift well or front door
- poor engineering of the mechanism
- inadequate maintenance procedures and no formal maintenance regime
- deceased's age-related cognitive decline (mild Alzheimer's disease) affecting judgment
- deceased's frail physical condition
- previous operational problems with the lift not adequately addressed
Coroner's recommendations
- Waterlifts installed for persons with disabilities in private residences should be required to be registered with Workplace Health and Safety authorities
- Waterlifts should be subjected to regular, preferably annual, safety audits by appropriately qualified persons to ensure continued compliance with Australian Standards and Design Guides
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 —