National

School fined $140k for student's death on overseas trip

By AAP Newswire

Jan 29, 2025

Court signage (file) — A school and travel company have been fined after a student fell fatally ill on a trip to Vietnam. -AAP Image

A Melbourne private school has been fined $140,000 after one of its students fell fatally ill on an overseas class trip.

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Kilvington Grammar School student Lachlan Cook, 16, suffered diabetes complications during the to Vietnam in September 2019 and later died in hospital in Melbourne.

He had been self-managing his type-1 diabetes when he fell ill and was taken to hospital 24 hours after first showing symptoms.

Lachlan suffered a heart attack and was flown back to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, with his life support switched off in October 2019.

A coroner in 2023 found his death was preventable, with WorkSafe issuing charges to both the school and travel company World Challenge Expeditions.

Kilvington and the travel company both pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court to failing to ensuring that persons other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks.

Judge Angela Ellis on Wednesday sentenced Kilvington to a $140,000 fine, while World Challenge was fined $150,000.

Both the school and organisation received a conviction.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press