A 47-year-old man drowned in Lake Burbury while drift fishing alone at dusk in February 2022. He fell overboard when his boat struck a submerged object or ran aground in windy conditions, likely after the vessel suddenly drifted into hazards while operating in neutral. He was not wearing a life jacket at the time. Post-mortem examination confirmed drowning as the cause. The coroner found the death was likely preventable had DS been wearing an approved life jacket, noting his safety-conscious nature would likely have ensured compliance with any mandatory requirement. The case highlights gaps in boating safety regulations for solo anglers not under power.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
not wearing an approved life jacket while drift fishing
boat struck submerged object or ran aground causing unexpected fall overboard
darkness and poor visibility on lake at time of incident
difficulty locating boat navigation lights from water
fatigue from prolonged immersion in water
gap in boating regulations not requiring life jacket use when not under power
Coroner's recommendations
Amend the Marine and Safety (Motor Boat and Licences) By-laws 2023 clause 37(2) to require people who are alone and on a motor boat in smooth waters to wear an approved life jacket even when not under power (e.g. when drift fishing or stopped for lunch), by deleting paragraph (a) which currently restricts the requirement to vessels 'proceeding'. This would apply to motor boats less than 6 metres in length in inland lakes, rivers and streams.
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —