Deceased
Michael John Hanratty
Demographics
60y, male
Date of death
2021-03-08
Finding date
2022-07-12
Cause of death
Drowning
AI-generated summary
Michael Hanratty, an experienced 60-year-old boatman, drowned after his recreational vessel capsized while crossing a dangerous sandbar at McLoughlins Beach. He was not wearing a required personal floating device (PFD) at the time, despite having one available and initially wearing it during the outbound journey. While the sandbar presented inherent navigational hazards and weather conditions were deteriorating, the critical factor was non-compliance with maritime safety regulations requiring PFD use in high-risk situations. The coroner found that wearing a PFD would have enhanced survival chances. This case highlights the importance of consistent adherence to safety equipment requirements, particularly when operating vessels in coastal areas with heightened risk zones like sandbars, regardless of operator experience or vessel seaworthiness.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Male, female, male, female·Nicholas Brown: combined drug (methadone and benzodiazepine) intoxication; Toni …
Joint inquest into four deaths of individuals prescribed opioid replacement therapy by Dr J. between September 2016 and August 2017: Nicholas Shane Brown (35), Toni Lee Wiki (38), Matthew Wayne Winwood (47), and Belinda …
40y · Male·Unascertained
Nathan James Taylor, aged 40, died in Port Lincoln Prison on 24 March 2022 while in custody pending trial on witness interference charges. He had significant medical history including infective endocarditis with tricuspi…
56y · Male·Unascertained
John William Swiety, 56, disappeared on 17 March 2023 in bushland near Goongerah, Victoria, after traveling with Daniel Harrison. Harrison's account contains significant inconsistencies and omissions. Although charged wi…
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 —