Coroner's Finding: Thompson, Ian Graham

45y · Male·Blunt trauma of the head sustained when struck by an industrial fishing rope

Ian Thompson, a 45-year-old experienced fish farm worker, died from blunt head trauma sustained when struck by an industrial rope during a routine capstan operation on a fishing vessel. While operating the capstan to reposition a mooring marker, the rope became jammed at a knot. Thompson attempted to clear the jam by tying off excess rope to a bollard and restarting the capstan at low revolutions. The rope suddenly flew off the capstan, striking him in the head with catastrophic force, causing severe skull fractures and fatal brain injury. The coroner found this was a tragic, unforeseen and unforeseeable accident. Thompson was appropriately qualified and trained, the equipment was mechanically sound, and no safety defects were identified. No preventive recommendations were made, though the coroner noted Tassal subsequently eliminated the risk by removing manual deck operations.