The family of a 16-year-old boy who allowed him to drink “a dangerous amount of alcohol” at a Christmas lunch that left him unable to walk and vomiting before he died has been hit by a coroner.
The teenager was with his parents at his aunt’s house in Victoria, Australia on December 25, 2022 when tragedy struck.
At an inquest into his death, State Coroner Catherine Fitzgerald said the boy, nicknamed LG, consumed copious amounts of alcohol at the family gathering attended by about a dozen others.
He brought his own drinks to the party, including 10 shots of vodka and a handful of canned mixed drinks, but also drank from a fully stocked liquor bar, including bourbon and double-strength Coke.
The coroner’s report, released Wednesday, criticized the boy’s parents and other adults who witnessed his heavy drinking whose interventions could have prevented his death.
“Allowing a minor to consume this amount of alcohol poses significant risks to their health and well-being, and this should not have happened,” Fitzgerald wrote in her report.
“There was grossly inadequate supervision of LG’s alcohol consumption and level of intoxication by his parents and adult family members.
“This effectively enabled LG to consume a dangerous amount of alcohol during the day and into the evening.
“We may remember that he was only sixteen years old and the sale and supply of alcohol to minors is illegal.”
The report noted that LG was seen drinking as well as “snorkeling” and “vortexing” drinks, which are methods of consuming alcoholic beverages faster, speeding up intoxication.
The boy and his family arrived at the party at noon. By evening, LG was vomiting profusely, unable to walk and effectively incapacitated.
“LG clearly consumed a significant amount of alcohol,” Fitzgerald wrote.
Despite his condition, none of the adults at the party made any “adequate attempt to intervene”, although at one point his mother – who bought Cruisers vodka – told him to “move on his own”.
In the early hours of December. 26, LG was helped to a couch on a porch at home and fell asleep.
At around 8.30am, his uncle noticed that he looked gray and was foaming at the mouth and vomiting.
Paramedics were called to the home and the boy was rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital where he was declared brain dead. He died in December. 28 from acute alcohol poisoning.
Fitzgerald noted in her report that she was making the investigation’s findings public to highlight the dangers of underage drinking.
It also drove home the responsibility of adults – especially parents – who supply children with alcohol.
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