Deceased
Natale DellaTorre
Demographics
54y, male
Date of death
1997-02-09
Finding date
2000-05-31
Cause of death
respiratory failure and acute renal failure due to rhabdomyolysis following trauma
AI-generated summary
A 54-year-old man with chronic schizophrenia and intellectual disability died from respiratory failure and acute renal failure secondary to rhabdomyolysis following a crush injury to his left thigh sustained while attempting to escape from a psychiatric hospital. He became trapped hanging upside down on a perimeter fence on 19 January 1997. Initial assessment at Royal Adelaide Hospital ED missed early signs of rhabdomyolysis (elevated potassium on blood tests), though the coroner found this was not a serious error given rhabdomyolysis's rarity in isolated thigh injury. Staff at Glenside Hospital provided exemplary monitoring post-injury. Once rhabdomyolysis became established, his death became almost inevitable despite comprehensive ICU management including dialysis, intubation, and tracheostomy. Communication breakdown occurred between ICU staff and family regarding withdrawal of treatment.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Procedures
Male·Hemant Chadha: acute on chronic pneumonia (mycoplasma pneumoniae). Sachintha Bat…
Two young men died after repeated ED presentations were not appropriately managed. Hemant Chadha (38) died of acute pneumonia complicated by possible neurological involvement after being discharged from Lyell McEwin Hosp…
30y · Male·Unascertained; likely cardiac arrhythmia
Adam Troy Shepley, aged 30, died in police custody following restraint after climbing onto roofs while displaying drug-affected and paranoid behaviour. Post-mortem examination revealed an unascertained cause, likely a ca…
79y · Male·Urinary tract infection with E coli bacteraemia on a background of ischaemic hyp…
A 79-year-old man with multiple comorbidities attended Whyalla Hospital ED following a fall. Paramedics documented concerning vital signs (tachypnoea, tachycardia, low oxygen saturation, fever) and a history suggestive o…
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.