Coroner's Finding: Lore, Margaret
Deceased
Margaret Mary Lore
Demographics
17y, female
Date of death
2017-01-28
Finding date
2019-02-26
Cause of death
traumatic head injuries
AI-generated summary
Margaret Mary Lore, 17 years old, died from traumatic head injuries after falling approximately 20 metres from a cliff at Blackmans Bay, Tasmania on 28 January 2017. She had consumed approximately 350ml of vodka mixed with cannabis over 2 hours at a party, achieving a blood alcohol level of 0.154g/100ml. Intoxication severely impaired her judgment, coordination and balance. While unfamiliar with the dark, unlit area, she climbed a 1.4m fence at the cliff edge using one hand to hold a phone torch, lost her footing on uneven ground and fell over the cliff. The coroner found no suspicious circumstances and no direct pressure from peers. Adequate warning signage and street lighting were identified as potentially beneficial safety improvements for this heavily-used public recreational area, though the coroner concluded these would not have altered Maggie's actions that night.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- high alcohol consumption (0.154g/100ml blood alcohol)
- cannabis use
- combined effects of alcohol and cannabis impairing judgment, coordination and balance
- unfamiliarity with the area
- dark, unlit environment
- use of phone torch in one hand limiting ability to steady herself
- uneven ground with downward gradient
- proximity to cliff edge
Coroner's recommendations
- Kingborough City Council undertake a comprehensive assessment of management and safety of the public area comprising the blowhole and cliff face from Blackmans Bay beach to Talone Road, including consideration of changes to land title, enhanced barriers, signage, lighting, seating and CCTV installation
- Kingborough City Council give consideration to recommendations from the assessment and devise a plan and schedule to undertake action if required
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