Finding into death of Joyce Elizabeth Tyndall
Deceased
Joyce Elizabeth Tyndall
Demographics
66y, female
Date of death
2022-03-27
Finding date
2023-09-13
Cause of death
Drowning
AI-generated summary
Joyce Elizabeth Tyndall, a 66-year-old experienced kayaker, drowned on 27 March 2022 after her two-person kayak capsized at the Nathalia town weir on Broken Creek, Victoria. She was wearing a lifejacket but the kayak took on water as it approached the weir's rushing water section and flipped, trapping her underneath. Despite CPR attempts by her partner and bystanders, she could not be revived. The coroner found no mechanical issues with equipment or suspicious circumstances. The investigation revealed inadequate warning signage visible to water users approaching the weir from the water. While the weir operator (Goulburn-Murray Water) runs annual public awareness campaigns, there were no water-approach warning signs specific to weir dangers. The coroner recommended additional safety signage on the creek banks approaching the weir and enhanced public awareness about weir hazards.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- kayak capsized at weir with strong water currents
- kayak took on water approaching the weir spillway
- inadequate warning signage visible from the water approach to the weir
- lack of safety barriers or exclusion zones at the weir
- water user unfamiliar with weir hazards despite local residency
Coroner's recommendations
- That GMW consider erecting appropriate safety and warning signage along the banks of Broken Creek that is visible to water users as they approach the Nathalia town weir from downstream
- That GMW reiterates the grave dangers posed to water users by weirs in their annual public awareness campaigns
- That Safe Transport Victoria consider the publication of a factsheet which warns water users of the significant dangers associated with weirs
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 —