Deceased
Ricky Glen Cox
Demographics
17y, male
Date of death
2006-02-24
Finding date
2009-03-18
Cause of death
refractory status epilepticus caused by either a viral infection, an underlying epileptic condition or a combination of a viral infection and an underlying epileptic condition
AI-generated summary
Ricky Cox, a 17-year-old Aboriginal youth in juvenile detention, died from refractory status epilepticus triggered by either viral infection or underlying epilepsy. On 2 February 2006, he became febrile and unwell at Cavan Training Centre. His ED assessment on 3 February found 'no disease' and he was discharged. On 6 February he deteriorated rapidly with seizures and was transferred to hospital. Despite trials of 8 anticonvulsants and induced coma, his seizures persisted, causing brain swelling, coning, and brain death. No clinical mismanagement was identified in hospital care or initial ED assessment. However, systemic investigative failures occurred: allegations of illicit drug supply at the detention centre were investigated by police but deliberately withheld from the coroner by the investigating officer, undermining the completeness of death investigation.
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
66y · Male·multiple injuries sustained in motor vehicle collision
A 66-year-old cyclist was struck and killed from behind by a driver with left absolute homonymous hemianopia (left-sided visual field loss) who was not scanning to compensate for his disability. The driver had suffered a…
17y · Female·multiple injuries
Afrikah Rose Pearl Philp, aged 17, died from multiple injuries sustained in a high-speed vehicle collision on 6 October 2017 while being pursued by police. She had a complex medical history including psychogenic non-epil…
5y · Male·acute upper airway obstruction from nectarine stone
Lucas Mazzei, aged 5 years, died on 27 March 2017 from acute upper airway obstruction caused by an uncut nectarine stone. While attending school, he was separated from his class during a science lesson and left watching …
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.