Teen died after ambos waited an hour before entering home: Coroner

A Tasmanian teen died while ambulance officers waited almost an hour before entering his home, according to a coroner.

Tasmanian ambulance. Picture: Tasmanian Department of Health

A Tasmanian Coroner has recommended police and ambulance review their joint arrangements after a teenage boy died while ambulance officers waited almost an hour for police back-up before entering his home.

Coroner Olivia McTaggart was inquiring into the death of Codie Mansell-Moore, 17, of Lutana in December 2018.

She found Mr Mansell-Moore died from a cardiac arrest after suffering epileptic seizures.

He had been diagnosed with epilepsy in 2016 and the night before he died he missed his dose of anti-seizure medication because he needed to fill his prescription.

Ms McTaggart also recommended that Ambulance Tasmania finalise and review the operation of its alerts procedure to ensure amendments were made “in a timely manner”.

An inquest had been told an ambulance was called at 6.09am by his girlfriend when he was experiencing seizures.

The two paramedics did not enter his home but waited until 6.57am away from his house because a safety alert had been issued for the address after his father Ronald Moore had been aggressive and threatening towards paramedics.

The safety “danger” alert meant that ambulance crews were to have police officers present before entering the address.

Mr Moore had not been at the house for several weeks, was in Devonport and not home at the time of his son’s death.

Ms McTaggart was not critical of the paramedics who waited, as required, for police back-up.

“I find, however, upon the expert evidence that Codie’s mortality was likely significantly increased by the delay in the paramedics arriving,” she said in her findings.

Ms McTaggart said she understood the “unwillingness” of the paramedics to enter the house because of Mr Moore’s previous behaviour.

“If he had not engendered fear in the attending paramedics six months previously by his behaviour, the paramedic crew on 10 December 2018 would have entered the address shortly after 6.16am and Codie would have lived,” she said.

“The case demonstrates that aggressive or violent behaviour towards AT (Ambulance Tasmania) paramedics can be directly linked to poor outcomes for patients.

“It is completely unacceptable for those professionals tasked to help in medical emergencies to be subjected to such behaviour.

“It is also unacceptable that patients requiring urgent treatment may be prevented from receiving it due to no fault of their own.”

Ms McTaggart acknowledged that since Mr Mansell-Moore’s death, Ambulance Tasmania and Tasmania Police had worked to improve the system of safety alerts “where police assistance may be required”.

Originally published as Teen died after ambos waited an hour before entering home: Coroner