Coroner's Finding: Blackaby, Kobie
Deceased
Kobie Ryder Blackaby
Demographics
1y, male
Date of death
2014-02-25
Finding date
2016-07-12
Cause of death
drowning
AI-generated summary
Kobie Ryder Blackaby, 18 months old, drowned in an unsecured inflatable backyard pool on 25 February 2014 in Hobart, Tasmania. The pool, containing 495mm of water, exceeded the 300mm threshold requiring safety fencing under Australian Standards but had none installed. While his mother and a visiting friend were indoors, Kobie exited through an open front door and accessed the pool. He likely leaned against the pool's side, which collapsed easily due to its design, causing him to fall in. Once inside, the inflatable rings returned to normal position, preventing escape. Attempted resuscitation by his father, neighbour, and ambulance officers was unsuccessful, and Kobie was pronounced deceased at Royal Hobart Hospital. The coroner found the death was preventable had compliant fencing been in place and endorsed Royal Life Saving recommendations focusing on adult supervision, uniform fencing enforcement, aquatic education, and community resuscitation training.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- unsecured inflatable pool lacking required fencing
- inadequate adult supervision
- design of inflatable pool allowing easy collapse and trapping of occupant
- front door left open allowing unsupervised access to pool area
Coroner's recommendations
- Determine and monitor the extent of increase in portable and inflatable pool purchases in Tasmania and develop appropriate water safety strategies
- Incorporate public education and awareness campaign into existing water safety strategies highlighting fencing requirements for portable and inflatable pools
- Strengthen education and training to increase parental and adult supervision of young children near water
- Ensure uniform pool safety fencing requirements and enforcement across all pool types
- Ensure all children of school age receive compulsory aquatic education
- Promote rescue and resuscitation skills training across the community
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