Coroner's Finding: de-identified CP
Deceased
CP
Demographics
22y, female
Date of death
2023-11-11
Finding date
2025-10-21
Cause of death
accidental drowning
AI-generated summary
A 22-year-old woman with cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and no formal swimming training drowned at Somerset Beach, Tasmania. She was in waist-deep water with her carer and another child when a strong rip current at the mouth of the Cam River pulled all three into deeper water. The carer attempted rescue but, faced with drowning all three, made the difficult decision to save the other child. The deceased's physical limitations (cerebral palsy affecting mobility, slight build of 52kg, lack of swimming experience) would have severely impaired her ability to survive in strong currents. The coroner found no systemic failures and made no recommendations, concluding the death was accidental drowning in challenging ocean conditions.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- strong rip current at mouth of Cam River
- challenging water conditions
- cerebral palsy affecting mobility and physical capacity
- lack of formal swimming training
- slight build and low body weight
- inability to self-rescue in strong currents
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