Update on inquest into Hillcrest Primary deaths
A joint public inquest will be held into the deaths of all six children in Tasmania’s Hillcrest Primary School jumping castle tragedy as a matter of priority, according to a coroner.
The six students from Year 5 and 6 died after an inflatable jumping castle they were playing on was lifted in the air in December last year, with witnesses watching as children fell from a height of about 10 metres.
In the nearly six months since, Coroner Olivia McTaggert has overseen the investigation into the incident and says a “very large amount of investigative work” has already taken place.
Evidence is still being gathered, with the coroner recently being provided with evidence as part of the Tasmania Police investigation that includes eyewitness accounts and evidence from WorkSafe Tasmania relating to the jumping castle business, equipment, and set-up due to be received shortly, as reported by the ABC.
“A very large amount of investigative work has taken place already, with the coroner holding regular meetings with members of the investigation teams,” a statement from the state’s Coronial Division reads.
“When the evidence in the investigation is complete, the coroner will consider retaining relevant experts.”
It is likely that experts will be asked to provide reports around the weather conditions on the day, as well as scientific or engineering reports.
“It is hoped that all evidence, including all necessary expert opinion, will be received within the coming months,” the statement reads.
“Unfortunately, it is very difficult to provide precise time frames for completion of the investigation.”
Though the specific date of the inquest will “depend on various factors”, the coroner said she will “give priority to scheduling the inquest as soon as reasonably possible”.
Since the tragedy, the Department of Education has banned the use of jumping castles across Tasmanian schools.
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