Finding into death of Glenn Andrew Fisher
Deceased
Glenn Andrew Fisher
Demographics
29y, male
Date of death
2012-02-19
Finding date
2013-12-03
Cause of death
Drowning
AI-generated summary
Glenn Fisher, a 29-year-old man, drowned at McLoughlins Beach after entering the water during extremely dangerous tidal conditions. While swimming with workmates, he ventured further into the ocean than his colleagues and was caught in a strong outgoing tide (8 knots) at the entrance. Unable to swim against the current, he was swept into turbulent breakers. Toxicological analysis revealed recent methamphetamine use, which may have impaired his risk judgment. Key preventable factors included: inadequate warning signage at the public carpark compared to the boating carpark, difficulty accessing emergency services due to poor mobile coverage (45 minutes to obtain signal), and lack of awareness among swimmers about the extreme dangers of the location's tidal currents. The coroner recommended improved signage, review of existing warnings, and investigation of emergency communication infrastructure improvements.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Extremely strong outgoing tidal current (8 knots) at beach entrance
- Recent methamphetamine use potentially impairing risk judgment
- Inadequate warning signage at public carpark compared to boating area
- Lack of public awareness of dangerous tidal conditions at location
- Difficulty obtaining mobile phone coverage to contact emergency services
- Clothing (denim shorts) became heavy and impeded swimming ability
- Swimmer ventured beyond safe swimming area into stronger current
Coroner's recommendations
- Wellington Shire Council erect signage at Car Park 1 warning members of the public about the dangers of tidal currents at the beach and entrance and dangers of swimming at or near the entrance
- Gippsland Ports review signage in Car Park 2 for accuracy, consistency and relevance
- Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority, Victoria investigate options for provision of communications to emergency services at points closer to the beach, including Emergency Response Beacons, remotely operating camera monitoring systems, and emergency markers
Full text
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