A 22-year-old Sudanese man drowned after inexplicably jumping from a jetty into Lake Narracan despite being unable to swim. The water was 2 metres deep with zero visibility, submerged obstacles, and thick mud. He entered panic and disappeared underwater. His companion, also a non-swimmer, attempted rescue but nearly drowned himself. Police officers searched for 20-30 minutes in dangerous conditions but could not locate him before his death. The coroner found his decision to jump into the water was inexplicable and the direct cause of death. No medical error or clinical intervention failure occurred. The coroner recommended improved warning signage about water hazards.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
Unable to swim
Jumped into water from jetty
Panic response
Zero visibility water conditions
Submerged obstacles
Thick mud on lake bottom
2 metres water depth
Coroner's recommendations
City of Latrobe or other relevant authority with control over Lake Narracan place a further warning sign in a conspicuous place on or near the jetty, informing the public that water conditions can make swimming from the jetty dangerous
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