Deceased
William Chase Corben
Demographics
4y, male
Date of death
2015-03-04
Finding date
2016-04-07
Cause of death
Drowning
AI-generated summary
William Corben, a 4-year-old non-swimmer with documented chlorine reaction, drowned in neighbours' backyard pool on 28 February 2015 after approximately 20-27 minutes without oxygen. Critical factors included: pool gates intentionally propped open with timber blocks by the pool owner; lapse in direct supervision when the supervising adult left the pool area to shower/change for a movie engagement; and William's re-entry into the pool unnoticed after leaving a hide-and-seek game. The owner had initiated a 'bad practice' of propping gates despite knowing William could not swim and required direct supervision. The death was preventable through: maintaining pool gate compliance, ensuring continuous adult supervision, and communicating swimming plans to parents. Post-incident evidence suggests the secondary safety feature (bedroom door with bracket) was non-compliant, indicating cavalier pool safety practices.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Clinical conditions
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Female·Drowning
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