Coroner's Finding: CHAN Wah Aun

27y · Male·freshwater drowning

A 27-year-old Malaysian citizen died by freshwater drowning in the River Murray after evading police apprehension at a random breath testing station. He was detained under the Migration Act 1958 (Commonwealth) for being an unlawful non-citizen after his visa had expired. During attempted detainment, he resisted, was sprayed with capsicum spray, and fled. He ran over an embankment and subsequently fell over a cliff into the river. The coroner found police officers acted appropriately and used only reasonable force. The death was not attributed to medical error but to circumstances following lawful police action and the deceased's decision to evade apprehension based on advice to run away. Post-mortem examination revealed a fractured lumbar spine which may have caused transient paralysis affecting swimming ability and contributing to drowning.