Finding into death of Daniel Michael Miles
Deceased
Daniel Michael Miles
Demographics
26y, male
Date of death
2015-01-18
Finding date
2016-04-22
Cause of death
Drowning
AI-generated summary
Daniel Miles, a 26-year-old man, drowned after being washed off rocks into the ocean while rock fishing at Cape Bridgewater in rough conditions (8-10 foot waves). He was not wearing a life jacket and was fishing from a steep, inaccessible rock platform 30 metres down a cliff face. Post-mortem examination revealed mild coronary atherosclerosis unusual for his age, and toxicology detected alcohol and cannabis, though these were not deemed causal. The coroner found the death preventable and noted that none of 15 other Victorian rock-fishing deaths had involved life jacket use. The coroner recommended mandatory personal flotation device (PFD) legislation for rock fishers, citing successful prevention strategies adopted in NSW and the poor uptake of voluntary safety messaging.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- Rock fishing in rough sea conditions (8-10 foot waves)
- Fishing from inaccessible rock platform 30 metres down cliff face
- No personal flotation device worn
- Possible hangover from alcohol consumption the previous night
- Detection of cannabis in post-mortem toxicology
- Mild coronary atherosclerosis (unusual for age 26)
- Remote location with limited immediate rescue access
Coroner's recommendations
- Implement laws in Victoria that mandate the use of Personal Floatation Devices while rock fishing, with the aim of preventing like deaths and encouraging a consistent national legislative framework
Full text
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