Deceased
John Culo
Demographics
44y, male
Date of death
2004-04-29
Finding date
2007-02-22
Cause of death
multiple injuries sustained when struck by a semi-trailer as a result of suicide
AI-generated summary
A 44-year-old man with chronic bipolar disorder and severe depression died by suicide while detained under the Mental Health Act at a psychiatric hospital. He was hit by a semi-trailer after absconding from an open ward. The coroner found his treatment was appropriate and that staff could not reasonably have prevented his departure. He was receiving mood stabilisers, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics, with close observation and suicide risk awareness. The decision to manage him in an open ward rather than closed was reasonable given his cooperation history, though notes suggested transfer to closed ward consideration if agitation persisted. The inquest concluded that care and management were appropriate and no preventative measures were omitted.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Procedures
Female·Fulminant hepatic failure due to paracetamol toxicity
A 19-year-old female with anorexia nervosa, borderline personality disorder, and chronic suicidality was admitted to St Vincent’s psychiatric inpatient unit on 28 July 2023. She reported ongoing suicidal thoughts but eng…
41y · Male·asphyxia due to neck compression following ligature suspension (hanging)
DR was a 41-year-old man with bipolar disorder, severe alcohol dependence, and multiple psychosocial stressors including family violence, homelessness, and financial crisis. In October 2023, he presented with acute mania…
51y · Male·combined effects of dilated cardiomyopathy with myocardial fibrosis and prescrip…
Jacob MacDonald, 51, died at the Forensic Hospital from combined effects of dilated cardiomyopathy with myocardial fibrosis and toxic levels of clozapine and aripiprazole. He was an involuntary forensic psychiatric patie…
Source and disclaimer
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