Disturbing way teenage boy died after Christmas Day celebration with family took tragic turn

A teen drank himself to death after skulling Vodka Cruisers, double strength Jim Beams and other alcoholic drinks on Christmas Day, a court has heard.

The 16-year-old boy died of acute alcohol intoxication after downing an esky of Cruisers among other drinks in Echuca, Victoria, on Christmas Day in 2022. 

Roughly a dozen people were at the gathering and his cousins heard the boy, known by the court as LG, telling others he had been ‘tactically vomiting’ through the day to sustain his drinking, the court was told. 

Coronial findings into the death were released in the Coroners Court of Victoria on Wednesday after a lengthy investigation. 

Family members of the boy said they saw him ‘shotgunning’, ‘snorkelling’ and ‘vortexing’ drinks throughout the entire day of December 25.

Each of these drinking methods allows the person consuming the drinks to become intoxicated faster than they typically would. 

The boy had arrived to the Christmas lunch with his own esky containing 10 Cruisers and a ‘handful’ of UDL cans, but was also seen taking drinks from others as well. 

Heartbreakingly, he collapsed to his knees by 11pm, but despite his blatant intoxication nobody at the party believed his condition was truly dire. 

LG’s sister tried convincing him to drink water before he slept, but by 8.30am the next day his uncle noticed grey vomit coming from his mouth and called triple-0.

The boy was rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital but was unable to recover from his condition and doctors confirmed him brain dead two days later on December 28.

Coroner Catherine Fitzgerald said the event lacked sufficient adult supervision and declared the boy’s death avoidable. 

She told the court LG had ‘clearly’ drank beyond his means and that somebody should have stepped in to stop him, the Herald Sun reported.

‘Allowing a minor to consume this amount of alcohol poses significant risks to their health and wellbeing and it should not have occurred,’ she said.

‘There was wholly inadequate supervision of LG’s consumption of alcohol and level of intoxication by both his parents and adult family members. 

‘This effectively permitted LG to consume a dangerous amount of alcohol throughout the day and into the evening.’

The coroner reminded those in attendance that the consumption of alcohol by anyone under the age of 18 is illegal and this fact should have been considered on the day.

She noted that there had been no ‘adequate’ attempt to stop the minor from drinking even as his intoxication increased throughout the day. 

LG’s parents previously told the court they allowed their son to drink on ‘special occasions’ after he turned 16, but that his maximum drink limit was supposed to be four per day at most. 

They supplied LG with the 10-pack of Cruisers and requested he not bring them all to Christmas lunch, which they later admitted he ignored.