Coroner criticical in report on lifesaver's death

The Queensland coroner been scathing in his criticism of officials at last year's National Surf Life saving Championships on the Gold Coast, saying they failed to appreciate the treacherous surf conditions that led to the death of a competitor.
19-year-old lifesaver Saxon Bird drowned after he was struck in the head by a wayward surf ski during the under-19s iron man event at Kurrawa in March last year.
Queensland Coroner Michael Barnes this week delivered his findings from an inquest into the death and criticised the officials for harbouring a culture in which competitors were pushed to the limits.
Barnes stated that all water craft competition should have been suspended before the start of events on the day of Bird's accident, stating that "the organisers brought the participants together and offered recognition and acclaim to those who succeeded.
"To a cohort of notorious risk takers ill equipped to realistically balance their best interests, it offered powerful inducements to participate even if the conditions made doing so unduly dangerous."
Barnes says when there is credible evidence conditions are placing lives at risk, the only responsible thing to do is to suspend competition, adding "when the cost of making the wrong decision is so high and the negative impact of acting more cautiously is so slight in comparison, officials should favour a wary approach."
Barnes says it was "disturbing" how reluctant organisers had been to respond to numerous concerns raised about the conditions two days before Bird's death.
His report recommends that Surf Life Saving Australia require the suspension of all competition if there is a risk of serious injury to competitors at future events. It also recommends that floatation devices be compulsory for lifesavers during competition, as well as helmets for surf ski and board competitors.
A further recommendation is for the top safety official from Surf Life Saving Australia, and at least one police officer at events, to be trained in advanced marine search and rescue.
Surf Life Saving Australia Chief Executive Brett Williamson says there will be a comprehensive review of the coroner's findings, stating "we'll be thoroughly and diligently reviewing the report and the findings and all the recommendations.
"We will be acting on all of those and we will be issuing an official response to each and every one of those recommendations as soon as possible."
The coroner said officials were following their own safety guidelines when they cleared the water of lifesavers after the competitor went missing, explaining that between 25 and 100 swimmers entered the water after Bird's accident but were ordered out in favour of a power craft search.
Top surf lifesavers have come out against Barnes recommendation for making floatation devices compulsory for lifesavers during competition, as well as helmets for surf ski and board competitors.
Although quoted in the report as saying the surf conditions on the day of Bird's death "were ï¾dangerous", Ironman Shannon Eckstein does not support the recommendation to wear the floatation devices, saying he didn't think they would work.
Eckstein explained that a floatation device "would be quite tough to wear (the floatation device) in an ironman race.
"It is not practical from the devices I have seen. "It's probably not something a lot of people in the sport would want to wear ... if they had to though, they would wear it."
Former ironwoman Kristen Askew believes that the recommendations were unlikely to work and could even cause more injuries in the sport, stating "I don't want to be disrespectful but that is absolutely ridiculous.
"It would make the race harder, you would be more fatigued and more likely to get injured with those sorts of things weighing you down and in your way."
At this year's national championships SLSA introduced high-visibility vests for competitors safer.
Ironwoman aCourtney Hancock