Melbourne School and Travel Company Fined Over Preventable Death of Student on Overseas Trip

Kilvington Grammar and World Challenge Expeditions fined a total of $290,000 after failures in managing a diabetic student's health led to his death in 2019.

Lachlan Cook, a 16-year-old Kilvington Grammar student, died from severe diabetic ketoacidosis after falling ill during a school trip to Vietnam in 2019.
A coroner's inquest found the death was preventable and cited failures by both the school and the travel company in managing his health condition.
Kilvington Grammar was fined $140,000, and World Challenge Expeditions was fined $150,000, with both pleading guilty to breaching health and safety laws.
The court heard that staff failed to recognize critical warning signs of Lachlan's deteriorating condition and did not adequately address his diabetes.
Both the school and the travel company have since implemented changes to improve health and safety protocols for managing pre-existing medical conditions on trips.