16-Year-Old Dies from Alcohol Poisoning at Family Gathering

A 16-year-old boy from Victoria, Australia, tragically died after consuming an excessive amount of alcohol during a family Christmas gathering in 2022. The incident, which occurred on December 25, has prompted a coroner’s report that criticizes the boy’s family for their failure to intervene.

The teenager, identified as LG in the report, attended the holiday celebration at his aunt’s residence. He brought his own alcohol, including 10 vodka cruisers and several canned mixed drinks, and had access to a fully stocked bar. The report indicated that LG was observed consuming alcohol rapidly using methods known as “snorkeling” and “vortexing,” which hasten the intoxication process.

State Coroner Catherine Fitzgerald, who led the inquest into the boy’s death, criticized the adults at the gathering, including the boy’s parents. She suggested that their intervention could have averted the tragic outcome. Fitzgerald stressed that allowing a minor to consume such a large volume of alcohol presents significant health risks and should not have been permitted.

The report underscored the absence of supervision over LG’s alcohol consumption and level of intoxication by both his parents and adult family members. Fitzgerald pointed out that this effectively enabled LG to consume a hazardous amount of alcohol throughout the day and into the night. She reiterated that the boy was only 16 years old, and the sale and supply of alcohol to minors is illegal.

By the evening, LG was heavily intoxicated, vomiting, and unable to walk. Despite his condition, none of the adults present made any significant attempt to intervene. His mother, who had bought the vodka cruisers for him, merely advised him to “pace himself.”

In the early hours of December 26, LG was assisted to a couch on the veranda where he fell asleep. The next morning, his uncle discovered him appearing grey with foam and vomit on his mouth. Paramedics were summoned, and the boy was rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital. He was declared brain dead and died on December 28 from acute alcohol poisoning.

Fitzgerald made the findings of the inquest public to underscore the dangers of minors consuming alcohol and to emphasize the responsibility of adults, particularly parents, who supply alcohol to children.