Deceased
Conan James Smith
Demographics
37y, male
Coroner
Coroner Audrey Jamieson
Date of death
2024-04-14
Finding date
2025-08-27
Cause of death
Multiple injuries sustained in a motor vehicle incident (driver)
AI-generated summary
A 37-year-old man died in a deliberate head-on motor vehicle collision three days after his partner died from metastatic cancer. He was the sole carer for his 7-year-old son with autism and intellectual disability. The coroner found he intended to take his own life, and in doing so caused his son's death. Conan had treated depression and anxiety with mirtazapine, reported as effective at his last consultation in January 2024. He expressed worry about coping as a single father but did not disclose suicidal ideation to his GP. Cannabis and antidepressant were detected post-mortem. The collision occurred on a rural road in good conditions; the truck driver was blameless. Clinical lessons include recognising acute suicide risk in bereaved individuals, particularly those with existing mental health conditions and caregiving responsibilities, and the importance of proactive mental health follow-up during major life stressors.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
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Elizabeth Ferris, a 44-year-old woman with schizoaffective disorder and polysubstance use disorder, died from hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy following cardiac arrest in the setting of presumed drug toxicity. She was fo…
38y · Female·Multiple injuries sustained when struck by a train
Natasha Stojkoski, a 38-year-old sales assistant at The Good Guys, sustained a workplace injury in October 2018 involving a Work Assisted Vehicle incident affecting her back, shoulders and neck. Subsequently, she reporte…
25y · Male·Combined drug toxicity
Harrison William Ladd, 25, died from combined drug toxicity involving clonazepam, dexamphetamine, codeine, diazepam and pholcodine. He had complex mental health and substance use disorder requiring specialist addiction c…
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