Coroner's Finding: Mr C
Demographics
39y, male
Date of death
2014-09-30
Finding date
2015-07-01
Cause of death
traumatic asphyxia from crushing injury
AI-generated summary
A 39-year-old man died from traumatic asphyxia after being crushed under a van while working on it. The vehicle was inadequately supported on home-made ramps and a trolley jack without wheel chocks, causing it to roll off the ramps and trap him underneath. Neighbours responded promptly and used a car jack to free him, and emergency services provided extended CPR for 43 minutes, but resuscitation was unsuccessful. The death was entirely preventable through proper vehicle support procedures including secure chocking of wheels and use of appropriate safety equipment. This was the second similar death in 12 months in Tasmania.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Error types
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- vehicle inadequately supported on home-made ramps
- failure to chock rear wheels
- use of trolley jack without proper support
- vehicle rolled off ramps while person was working underneath
Coroner's recommendations
- No person at any time work underneath a car or any piece of machinery supported only by a trolley jack
- Vehicles must be properly supported with appropriate safety equipment including wheel chocks when persons are working underneath them
Full text
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