Coronial
VICother

Finding into death of David James Klingberg

Deceased

David James Klingberg

Demographics

55y, male

Coroner

Coroner Leveasque Peterson

Date of death

2018-06-24

Finding date

2025-10-29

Cause of death

Complications of traumatic head injury sustained in a workplace incident (palliated)

AI-generated summary

David Klingberg, a 55-year-old experienced pile testing engineer, died from traumatic head injury sustained when an auxiliary line hook on a piling rig struck him in the face at a construction site. The hook became jammed under the rig's mast, and when released, struck David with force despite him wearing a hard hat. He suffered severe head injuries including intracranial haemorrhage and cerebral oedema, progressing to fatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. At the time of his death, there were no published industry standards specifically addressing securing auxiliary lines on piling rigs. The coroner found the death was a tragic accident that could not have been foreseen by his employer. Since David's death, the industry has developed restraint devices and safety recommendations. The coroner recommended updating the Industry Standard to address auxiliary line security.

AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.

Specialties

emergency medicineintensive careneurosurgeryoccupational and environmental healthforensic medicine

Error types

system

Drugs involved

morphinemidazolamlevetiracetamlaudanosinemetoclopramidemetronidazole

Clinical conditions

traumatic head injurycerebral oedemahypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathysubarachnoid haemorrhagesubdural haemorrhagefacial fracturesintracranial pressure elevation

Procedures

intracranial pressure drain insertioninduced coma

Contributing factors

  • Auxiliary line hook became jammed under piling rig mast
  • Lack of industry-wide standards for securing auxiliary lines at time of incident
  • Unsecured auxiliary line under tension released with force
  • Minimal guidance in manufacturer's manuals regarding auxiliary line stowage
  • No specific published standards or codes for auxiliary line positioning on piling rigs prior to incident

Coroner's recommendations

  1. WorkSafe Victoria should consult with the Piling and Foundation Safety Federation to update the 'Piling Work & Foundation Engineering Sites – Industry Standard' to include reference to securing the auxiliary line
Full text

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. Some material may have been redacted or restricted by court order or privacy requirements. 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 — report an inaccuracy here.