Finding into death of N J
Deceased
NJ
Demographics
<1y, female
Date of death
2020-12-14
Finding date
2022-08-31
Cause of death
Drowning
AI-generated summary
An 11-month-old girl drowned in a backyard koi fishpond after gaining access to the pond's edge, likely attempting to view the fish. Despite immediate CPR and rapid hospital transfer, she suffered hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury and was declared brain dead. The coroner found no individual culpability but emphasised that children near any body of water require constant vigilant supervision. While fishponds in Victoria are not required to have safety barriers (unlike pools), the case highlights water safety risks. The child's independence and climbing ability, combined with unsupervised access to the pond during evening family activities, created the fatal circumstances. Key clinical lesson: drowning can be silent and rapid; prevention depends entirely on continuous supervision and environmental controls.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- Unsupervised access to fishpond
- Child's active and climbing ability
- Lack of safety barriers around pond
- Water pump creating additional drowning risk
- Nappy absorbing water, increasing weight and submersion risk
Coroner's recommendations
- Continued emphasis on vigilant and constant supervision of children around all bodies of water including fishponds, pools, and spas
Full text
Related cases
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —