A 2-year-old girl drowned in a backyard swimming pool after gaining access through a sliding security door with a deliberately disabled lock. The father had tampered with and rendered non-functional the locking mechanism shortly after moving in, without realising the consequences. Supervision failed when the uncle opened the glass door for ventilation and the father did not adequately monitor the children. The pool fence and security door were non-compliant with standards at that time. Key clinical lessons include the critical importance of adequate supervision of young children around water hazards, the necessity of functioning safety barriers, and the cumulative effect of multiple safety failures. This death was entirely preventable through proper maintenance of pool safety equipment and consistent, vigilant supervision of vulnerable young children.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
paediatricsemergency medicineparamedicine
Error types
proceduralsystem
Clinical conditions
drowningcardiac arrest
Contributing factors
deliberately disabled pool security door lock by father
inadequate supervision of young children
non-compliant pool fencing
faulty sliding security screen door with non-functioning latch mechanism
uncle opening glass door without adequate monitoring of children
Coroner's recommendations
Full implementation and regulation of amendments to swimming pool fencing legislation as set out in Chapter 8 of the Building Act 1975 (commenced 1 December 2010)
Education and ongoing awareness campaign for Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) and independent real estate agents regarding new pool/spa safety laws and protocols in Queensland
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.