Army fined over teen’s peanut allergy death | Scotch College cadets camp
Jul 03
This is a sad story. Even some government depsartments are failing to understand the severity of this allergy.
The Australian Army has been fined more than $200,000 over the death of a teenager from a peanut allergy at a cadets’ school camp in May 2007.
Nathan Francis, 13, was a year nine student at Scotch College in Victoria.
Regardless of his mother writing to the camp organisers that Nathan suffered from a severe peanut allergy he was given a lunch of beef satay on the first day of the camp and died shortly after.
In the Federal Court this morning, Justice Tony North ordered that the Commonwealth should pay $210,100 to the public purse.
The case came about when Comcare, a government workplace safety agency, sued the Commonwealth for a breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The Commonwealth, through the Chief of Army, was responsible for running the camp.
Justice North urged that the Victorian Coroner hold an inquest into Nathan’s death to examine the role of Scotch College and its staff who manned the camp.
The school has promised to take steps to prevent the recurrence of another incident on the same camp in which six boys were lost in the forest for hours without radio contact.
Justice North adjourned that undertaking for one year.
The court heard WorkSafe Victoria had decided not to prosecute the school.
Justice North described the case as “every parent’s worst nightmare” and commended Nathan’s parents, Brian and Jessica, for their bravery during the proceedings.
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