Kilvington Grammar and World Challenge charged over death of diabetic student

The elite Melbourne school and a travel company have been charged after a diabetic student died on a school trip in Vietnam.

Lachlan Cook, 16, who was a Type 1 diabetic, died on a school trip to Vietnam in 2019. Picture: Facebook

An elite private school and a travel company have been charged by WorkSafe after a diabetic student died on a school trip in Vietnam.

Kilvington Grammar student Lachlan Cook, 16, was on a school excursion in Vietnam in 2019 when he fell ill with symptoms including vomiting and slurred speech.

A staff member from World Challenge, the travel outfit that organised the trip, treated Lachlan’s illness as gastro but did not provide specific care for his Type 1 diabetes.

The following day his condition deteriorated and his glucose levels were found to be dangerously high.

Kilvington Grammar has been charged by WorkSafe.

Lachlan became unresponsive and was rushed to hospital where he entered cardiac arrest.

He was flown back to Australia but never regained consciousness and died in hospital.

WorkSafe said in a statement on Wednesday that Kilvington faced one charge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to ensure that persons other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks.

“WorkSafe alleges the school failed, so far as was reasonably practicable, to reduce the risk of illness or death to diabetic students on school trips,” WorkSafe said.

“World Challenge Expeditions Pty Ltd faces three charges of the OHS Act for failing to ensure that persons other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks.

“WorkSafe alleges the tour company failed, so far as was reasonably practicable, to reduce the risk of illness or death to participating students, including those with diabetes,” it added.

The Victorian Coroners Court held an inquest into the teenager’s death in June 2022, to probe whether supervising staff had proper knowledge to treat Lachlan’s condition, if local medical assistance should have been sought sooner and if he should have received clearance to travel.

During the final submissions, the family’s barrister Andrew Woods said claims Lachlan was capable of self-managing his diabetes were “breathtakingly negligent”.

“Kilvington came dangerously close to blaming Lachlan and his family rather than their own failings,” Mr Woods said.

“Lachlan was a child and he was in the care of adults.”

The inquest also examined why an action plan detailing how to treat Lachlan’s diabetes in the event he fell seriously ill was not provided to teachers or staff from World Travel – the group that helped organise the trip.

Lachlan’s cause of death was found to be severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), most likely precipitated by a gastrointestinal infection.

The matter is listed for a filing hearing at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on April 30, 2024.