The family of a 16-year-old boy who was allowed to drink a “dangerous amount of alcohol” at Christmas lunch, leaving him unable to walk and vomiting before he died, have been harshly criticized by a coroner.
The teenager was with his parents at his aunt's house in Victoria, Australia, on December 25, 2022, when the tragedy occurred.
At the inquest into his death, state coroner Katherine Fitzgerald said the boy, who went by the alias LG, had consumed large amounts of alcohol at the family gathering attended by about a dozen others.
He brought his own drinks to the party, including 10 vodkas and a handful of canned mixed drinks, but he also drank from a fully stocked bar of spirits, including bourbon and double-strength Coke.
The coroner's report, released on Wednesday, criticized the boy's parents and other adults who witnessed his heavy drinking and whose interventions could have averted his death.
“Allowing a minor to consume this amount of alcohol poses significant risks to his health and well-being, and should not have happened,” Fitzgerald wrote in her report.
“There was absolutely inadequate supervision of LG's alcohol consumption and level of intoxication by his parents and adult family members.
“This effectively allowed LG to consume a dangerous amount of alcohol throughout the day and into the evening.
“It is worth noting that he was only sixteen years old and that selling and serving alcohol to minors is illegal.”
The report indicated that LG was seen drinking shots in addition to “dip” and “swirl” drinks, which are methods of consuming alcohol more quickly, thus accelerating poisoning.
The boy and his family arrived at the party in the middle of the day. By evening, LG was vomiting profusely, unable to walk, and virtually incapacitated.
“It is clear that LG consumed a significant amount of alcohol,” Fitzgerald wrote.
Despite his condition, none of the adults at the party made any “sufficient attempt to intervene”, although his mother – who had bought him bottles of vodka – at one point told him to “control himself”.
Early on December 26, LG was helped to a sofa on the balcony of the house and fell asleep.
At around 8.30am, his uncle noticed that he appeared gray and had foam and vomit in his mouth.
Paramedics were called to the home and the boy was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital where he was declared brain dead. He died on December 28 from acute alcohol poisoning.
Fitzgerald noted in her report that she is making the results of the investigation public to highlight the dangers of underage drinking.
It also made clear the responsibility of adults – especially parents – who provide children with alcohol.
