Kilvington Grammar School has been hit with a hefty fine over the preventable death of one of its students on an overseas class trip.
Lachlan Cook, 16, suffered diabetes complications during a trip to Vietnam in September 2019 and later died in hospital in Melbourne.
The teenager, who had Type 1 diabetes, was managing his condition independently and was taken to hospital some 24 hours after first demonstrating symptoms.
As reported by the ABC, Cook’s condition worsened and he was eventually airlifted back to Melbourne, where he suffered a fatal heart attack.
His life support was switched off in October 2019.
The cause of death was revealed to be brain damage in the context of diabetic ketoacidosis, following an autopsy, per 7News.
The school has since expressed “sincere remorse and sadness” over the incident. (Source: Kilvington Grammar School / Instagram)
The school trip has understandably been the subject of intense scrutiny, with a coroner in 2023 finding the student’s death was preventable. WorkSafe Victoria went on to issue charges to both the school and travel company World Challenge Expeditions.
Both the school and the travel company have pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court to failing to ensure that persons other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks.
In the sentencing hearing on Wednesday — where both parties received a conviction — Judge Angela Ellis handed down a $140,000 fine to Kilvington Grammar while World Challenge received a penalty of $150,000.
She noted that while there had been efforts to mitigate risks associated with Cook’s diabetes, the measures in place were “inadequate” and failed to prevent the tragedy.
Judge Ellis also explained she had taken into consideration that by pleading guilty early on, both the company and the school had facilitated the course of justice and “spared [Lachlan’s family] the trauma of reliving the series of events to give evidence”.
Additionally, both parties had expressed “sincere remorse and sadness over Lachlan’s passing”, she acknowledged.
Both parties have been handed a conviction. (Source: greenleaf123 / Getty Images)
In a statement, Sam Jenkin, executive director, health and safety at WorkSafe Victoria, said Lachlan’s death was a tragedy that should not have happened.
“Working with children — especially children with health conditions — comes with extremely serious responsibilities,” Jenkin said.
“Frustratingly, both the school and the trip provider knew Lachlan was diabetic and yet didn’t take steps to reduce the risk of illness or death by properly supporting their staff in identifying potentially serious health complications.”
Cook’s family have previously spoken out about the devastating impact of the sudden loss of their son on the trip.
“The impact he’s had on us and on so many people, you can’t take that away,” his mother, Kirsten McMahon, told the ABC in 2022.
“But he won’t turn 18, he won’t turn 21, we won’t be celebrating his university or marriage or grandchildren, there’s none of that.”
The school said it has since adopted new practices to ensure staff and student safety. (Source: Kilvington Grammar School / Instagram)
In a statement, Kilvington Grammar School principal Rob French said the school accepts responsibility for its role in the tragic passing and has taken steps to ensure both staff and student safety moving forward.
“We have implemented many restorative practices since 2019 and will continue to apply these to ensure the safety of our students and staff both domestically and internationally,” French said, per the ABC.
Staff now received annual training in the management of a number of health conditions, including diabetes, he clarified.
“On behalf of the school, I offer my deepest apologies to Lachie’s family and friends for their devastating loss. Our thoughts and prayers remain with them today and always,” he said.
Lead image: ABC News / Kilvington Grammar School website
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