Deceased
Sonia Lidia Aufiero, Michael Terence Fell
Date of death
2008-12-31
Finding date
2012-11-14
Cause of death
carbon monoxide poisoning
AI-generated summary
Two individuals died from carbon monoxide poisoning on 31 December 2008. Sonia Aufiero, aged 28, was a detained patient on an acute psychiatric ward (Ward C3) at Royal Adelaide Hospital under a 28-day mental health detention order. Michael Fell, aged 60, was not detained but had been recently hospitalised for suicide attempts and had met Ms Aufiero on the ward. They formed a relationship, and Ms Aufiero absconded from the unlocked ward. Staff detected her absence within 30 minutes and filed a missing person's report appropriately. The coroner found no system failure, noting that staff had no reason to foresee the couple's plan or anticipate joint self-harm. The coroner noted Mental Health Act secrecy provisions at the time inhibited disclosure of information about one patient to locate another, though no recommendations were made as the case involved a tragic but unforeseeable outcome.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
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