Coroner's Finding: Donohue, Andrew John
Deceased
Andrew John Donohue
Demographics
49y, male
Date of death
2022-12-30
Finding date
2024-06-26
Cause of death
saltwater drowning
AI-generated summary
A 49-year-old man died from saltwater drowning after entering the water on a kayak without a personal flotation device (PFD) or emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). He had methylamphetamine in his system at the time. While a strong swimmer, he did not return from his kayak within an hour of departure. The coroner concluded that wearing a PFD would likely have prevented death, and that the presence of methylamphetamine in his system would not have improved survival prospects. There are no clinical or medical management failures identified, as this was an accidental drowning in recreational circumstances.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- failure to wear personal flotation device (PFD)
- absence of emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB)
- presence of methylamphetamine in system
- windy sea conditions (30-40 km/h wind)
Full text
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