Inquest into the Suspected Death of Carlton Scott TITTUMS
Deceased
Carlton Scott TITTUMS
Demographics
34y, male
Date of death
2011-07-27
Finding date
2020-09-10
Cause of death
unascertained; most likely drowning/immersion
AI-generated summary
Carlton Scott Tittums, a 34-year-old deckhand on the commercial prawn trawler Belo Star, entered the ocean without a lifejacket on 27 July 2011 while swimming towards a drifting dinghy. He was last seen swimming towards the vessel, appearing to slow down before disappearing from view. An extensive four-day search involving marine, air, and land resources failed to locate him. Expert assessment of survival physiology indicated he could not have survived beyond the night of 27 July 2011 given water temperature (15°C below body temperature), lack of lifejacket, and absence of daylight. The coroner found death established beyond reasonable doubt but cause unascertained, noting drowning was the most likely explanation. Police investigation found no evidence of foul play despite some family allegations. Key clinical lesson: rapid assessment of water immersion survival times and appropriate rescue coordination are critical in maritime emergencies.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- entry into water without lifejacket
- water temperature 15°C below body temperature
- fatigue during swimming
- loss of daylight after 2:30 pm limiting ability to protect airway
- rough sea conditions
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 —