Deceased
MELISSA DEBORAH IRWIN
Demographics
35y, female
Date of death
2009-12-06
Finding date
2010-12-16
Cause of death
methadone toxicity
AI-generated summary
Melissa Irwin, 35, died from methadone toxicity after consuming her cousin's take-home methadone dose (110mg liquid). She had no history of substance abuse and had never received formal education about methadone's risks, despite having some knowledge from caring for her cousin during detoxification. The coroner found the death accidental and identified critical system failures: unsecured storage of Schedule 8 medication in a domestic setting and lack of regulatory oversight of take-home dose safety. The coroner emphasised that inadequate supervision of storage arrangements created a dangerous practice with potential to harm non-intended recipients, including the young child present in the bedroom. Recommendations focused on establishing regulatory mechanisms for secure storage and prohibiting take-away methadone without verified safe storage arrangements.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
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