abc.net.au/news/lachlan-cook-family-fighting-answers-death-school-trip-vietnam/101620600With only enough room in the air ambulance for one parent, Kirsten McMahon took the seat next to her son's body and braced for the long flight back to Melbourne.But when they arrived on the 18th floor of the Royal Children's Hospital, she was met with condolences.
On September 14, 2019, after getting the all-clear from his GP and paediatric endocrinologist, Lachlan and his schoolmates jetted off to Vietnam."He rang me … going, 'Dad I want to buy a watch, is that okay?' That's the first and last time we heard of him on an entire trip," Mr Cook said. "Peter and I, and Izzy, wouldn't have had to have been choosing a coffin for Lachlan, we wouldn't have had to have been providing eulogies at a funeral, we wouldn't have had to be facing every day without him if just one of them made a different choice," she said.Their lawyer, Bree Knoester from Brave Legal, said children with all medical conditions should be able to go to camp.
They spent the evening exploring the lantern-lit laneways of the historic trading port, sampling street food and weaving their way through bustling markets.The inquest heard that Lachlan told Anna Walsh, the World Challenge expedition leader, he'd vomited twice and couldn't keep down any liquids. "World Challenge call-taker Stuart Thomas was not aware that Lachlan was a diabetic and it was not mentioned by Anna during the call, or when questioned about medication and symptoms," Leading Senior Constable Lord said.
"Critically when the message was read, and now aware of Lachlan's diabetes, Thomas was then unable to contact any adult on the trip for four hours to reassess Lachlan's condition," Leading Senior Constable Lord said. Forensic experts now know the 16-year-old was going through diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious complication of type 1 diabetes which happens when a patient's body cannot produce enough insulin.
"The adults on the trip were ill-equipped to recognise and respond, in a timely manner, to Lachlan's deteriorating condition," she said. But Andrew Woods, who represented the family during the inquest, gave the coroner a more blistering assessment. "In any event, he was a minor and so whatever his cognitive function, he cannot always be relied upon to make correct decisions at all times, that's why you have teachers in charge of students."Almost 24 hours after his heart stopped, Lachlan Cook was flown to Thailand where his loved ones rushed to be by his bedside.
Gosh, so easily preventable :(
Indigenous or non-indigenous family?
While I am sorry for the family for the loss of their child... school trips let alone travelling overseas to Vietnam are a real risk for any young person and especially one with a medical condition ! And especially in a COVID filled world !
While I am sorry for the family for the loss of their child... school trips let alone travelling overseas to Vietnam is a real risk for any young person and especially one with a medical condition !
This tragedy, should never have happened, and it's not the first one, abolish, school trips, if they don't include a GP in attendance, I never allowed my daughter to attend school trips , for this very reason, don't trust teacher ,