Barnett-Lonergan, Patrick Hugo
Deceased
Patrick Hugo Barnett-Lonergan
Demographics
22y, male
Date of death
2010-09-10
Finding date
2012-08-08
Cause of death
Drowning in circumstances of exposure to the elements at sea
AI-generated summary
Patrick Hugo Barnett-Lonergan, a 22-year-old UK citizen working on a commercial fishing vessel, fell overboard from the MV Guiding Star on 10 September 2010. He had consumed 8-10 beers during the day and was last seen on the wheelhouse roof. An extensive air, sea and land search over five days found no trace of him. The coroner found he most likely drowned from exposure and exhaustion, though the precise mechanism of falling overboard could not be determined. While initial search efforts were hampered by incorrect positioning data from the vessel's GPS and the skipper's error in reporting the time elapsed before discovery, this did not materially affect the outcome given the extensive subsequent search operations.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- Alcohol consumption (8-10 beers during the day)
- Fell overboard from fishing vessel roof
- Not a strong swimmer
- Exposure to sun and elements during previous day
- Fatigue from lack of sleep
- Likely dehydration
- Had not eaten in hours before falling overboard
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