Deceased
Ruth Gibbs
Demographics
57y, female
Coroner
Coroner Michael Patrick Coghlan
Date of death
2010-09-20
Finding date
2011-03-15
Cause of death
Pneumonia
AI-generated summary
Ruth Gibbs, a 57-year-old woman with Down syndrome and chronic renal disease, died of pneumonia at Geelong Hospital. She had been in residential care from infancy. An autopsy confirmed death from natural causes with widespread pneumonia. An inquest was held because she was in state care immediately before death, as required by the Coroners Act. The coroner made no adverse findings regarding clinical management, noting that death resulted from natural causes in the context of her underlying medical conditions.
AI-generated summary — refer to original finding for legal purposes. Report an inaccuracy.
Specialties
Section 67 of the Coroners Act 2008
Court Reference: 3654/2010
Inquest into the Death of Ruth Gibbs
Delivered om: , 15 March 20114 Delivered at : Geelong
' Hearing Dates: 15 March 2011 Findings of: Michael Coghlan
Place of death/Suspected death: Geelong Hospital, Geelong
Page | of 2
Section 67 of the Coroners Act 2008
Court Reference: 3654/2010 In the Coroners Court of Victoria at Geelong T Michael Coghlan, Coroner having investigated the death of:
Details of deceased:
Sumame; Gibbs First Name: Ruth Address: Colanda Residential Services, Colac
AND having held an inquest in relation to this death on 15 March 2011 at Geelong
find that the identity of the deceased was Ruth Gibbs
and the death occurred on or about 20 September 2010
at Geelong Hospital, Geelong
from Pneumonia,
Contributing Factors: Down Syndrome, Chronic Renal Disease,
in the following circumstances:
Ruth Gibbs, aged 57, died at the Geelong Hospital on 20 September 2010. Dr Shelley Robertson, Senior Pathologist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, conducted an autopsy on 22 September 2010. She concluded that Ruth Gibbs “died from natural causes with evidence of widespread pneumonia”. :
Section 52(2) of the Coroner’s Act 2008, states that a coroner must hold an Inquest into a death if the deceased was, immediately before death, a person placed in custody or care.
Ruth Gibbs suffered from a number of co-existing medical conditions and was admitted to care shortly after birth, She spent tine at Kew Cottages before being admitted to Colanda at Colac.
Despite the fact that she died from natural causes, it has been necessary to conduct an Inquest hearing because she was, immediately before her death, a person held in care. Accordingly, it is not necessary for me to make any finding or comment in relation to the circumstances surrounding her death.
Signature:
Date; 15 March 2011
Giovanni John Miceli, a 53-year-old man with cerebral palsy and intellectual disability living in specialist disability accommodation, died from sepsis secondary to aspiration pneumonia. He had a known history of recurre…
George Scott Boyens, a 66-year-old with multiple sclerosis and newly diagnosed left tongue squamous cell carcinoma, died from complications of these conditions following a brief palliative care admission. He was admitted…
Richard Watson, a 62-year-old man with Down syndrome, epilepsy, dementia and C1 partial quadriplegia, died from aspiration pneumonia at Austin Hospital. He had recurrent admissions over six months for pneumonia, asthma a…
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. Some material may have been redacted or restricted by court order or privacy requirements. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries are for educational purposes only and must not be treated as legal documents. Report an inaccuracy.