Coroner's Finding: Stein, Emily Catherine
Deceased
Emily Catherine Stein
Demographics
22y, female
Date of death
2022-01-25
Finding date
2023-09-22
Cause of death
Drowning secondary to epileptic seizure
AI-generated summary
Emily Catherine Stein, aged 22, died by drowning in Cataract Gorge on 25 January 2022. She had recently been diagnosed with epilepsy in May 2021, which was unstable at the time of death. While swimming with family, she disappeared in the water and was found the following day. The medical advisor concluded she likely suffered an epileptic seizure precipitating drowning. People with epilepsy have a 10-fold increased drowning risk compared to the general population. The coroner recommended that individuals with epilepsy discuss swimming safety with their general practitioner, as seizures in water create substantial risk of fatal outcomes.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- Unstable epilepsy at time of death
- Recent epilepsy diagnosis (May 2021)
- Swimming activity without seizure precautions
Coroner's recommendations
- Persons suffering from epilepsy should discuss with their general practitioner whether it is safe for them to swim
- Individuals with epilepsy should access practical swimming safety advice from resources such as Epilepsy Action Australia website
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