Finding into death of NJC

17y · Male·drowning

NJC, aged 17, drowned in Lake Nagambie while subject to a Care by Secretary Order. He was in stable kinship care with his sister and receiving appropriate support from Child Protection and Anglicare. At a family wedding weekend, he consumed alcohol and cannabis, then attempted to swim across the lake. Expert evidence established that the combination of alcohol and cannabis impaired his judgment, motor coordination, balance and cognitive function, giving him false confidence while reducing his ability to swim effectively and respond to rescue attempts. The coroner found appropriate supervision proximate to death, commended rescue efforts, and concluded the death was misadventure. Key clinical lesson: alcohol and cannabis together significantly impair aquatic safety awareness and physical capability in young people.