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Coroner's Finding: McConnon, Desmond Keith

Deceased

Desmond Keith McConnon

Demographics

68y, male

Date of death

2015-10-24

Finding date

2016-10-31

Cause of death

hypovolemic shock

AI-generated summary

Desmond Keith McConnon, a 68-year-old gardener, died on 24 October 2015 after suffering a 3-metre fall from a tree at a friend's home in Tasmania. While assisting with branch trimming, he slipped and fell, striking a metal barbecue and sustaining multiple injuries. He was transported to Royal Hobart Hospital where he arrived awake and oriented but suffered cardiac arrest within 30 minutes of admission. Despite aggressive resuscitation attempts, he died of hypovolemic shock from his injuries. The coroner found the death entirely preventable, noting that no safety equipment (harness) was used during the work at height. Although no formal recommendations were made, the coroner urged all persons working at height to use appropriate safety precautions to prevent similar accidents.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.

Contributing factors

  • fall from height
  • lack of safety equipment
  • multiple injuries
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