Finding into death of Reginald Mashado
Deceased
Reginald Mashado
Demographics
74y, male
Date of death
2010-10-02
Finding date
2010-04-27
Cause of death
Drowning
AI-generated summary
A 74-year-old man drowned after falling from a homemade pontoon fishing boat in Westernport Bay. The vessel was assessed as highly unstable with a dangerously high centre of gravity, making it susceptible to capsizing. The deceased wore a Type 2 Personal Flotation Device (PFD), which lacks head support for prolonged water immersion. He was not a strong swimmer and did not carry emergency beacon equipment (EPIRB or PLB). Contributing factors included an unseaworthy vessel design, inadequate PFD type, lack of emergency location equipment, and the deceased fishing alone. Clinical lessons emphasise the importance of appropriate safety equipment selection, vessel stability assessment, and emergency communication devices for water activities, particularly in vulnerable populations.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Unseaworthy homemade pontoon vessel with high centre of gravity and poor stability
- Capsizing of unstable craft
- Type 2 Personal Flotation Device without head support collar
- Deceased was not a strong swimmer
- Fatigue while in water
- Inability to reboard or right the vessel
- Lack of emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or personal locating beacon (PLB)
- Fishing alone without backup or communication equipment
Coroner's recommendations
- Transport Safety Victoria (TSV) to continue advising operators of human powered craft to exceed regulatory safety requirements by carrying Type 1 PFD (with enhanced buoyant properties) and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or Personnel Locating Beacon (PLB)
- Transport Safety Victoria to provide notification and advice to boating enthusiasts who construct their own vessels regarding regulatory requirements for seaworthiness and safety equipment
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