Father’s quest for answers in son’s death
QUESTIONS surround the tragic electrocution death of a young man in a Townsville rental property more than three years ago.
Aron Gillman, 25, suffered critical brain damage and died in hospital in May 2019 after he was electrocuted at his North Ward home.
Exposed wires on a hot water system which came into contact, through a piece of metal, with a makeshift wire enclosure killed Aron and a dog when it became live.
While a coroner did not name anyone as liable for the 25-year-old’s death, investigations into his electrocution found unregulated electrical work was undertaken at the property and that the hot water system had been tampered with, leaving live wires exposed and rendering the system potentially non-compliant with legislation.
Despite multiple investigations the 25-year-old’s family still do not know who removed a safety cover from a hot water system, exposing its live wires. No charges have ever been laid.
Police conducted a preliminary investigation into the death but did not identify any suspicious circumstances and handed over control to the Office of Industrial Relations over suspected electrical safety issues and breaches.
A report from Northern Coroner Nerida Wilson states the original cover plate for the hot system had been removed, exposing live wires, and was never located.
The report notes that when Ergon workers arrived at the property after the electrocution, they observed a piece of metal flashing physically touching the hot water terminals, “shorting” from the terminal to the fence.
Although the system was from 2009, the coronial investigation found it was fitted with a thermostat from 2007 – something the company representative said was “very unusual”.
A representative from the system’s manufacturer said a cover plate would only be removed in specific circumstances, like to access the thermostat.
In findings from her investigation, Ms Wilson said that a probe by the Office of Industrial Relations found that the removal of the manufacturer’s terminal cover would not comply with regulations and it would expose a person to the dangers of electric shock. The OIR found the removal of the safety cover must have been deliberate as it required the removal of multiple screws. ews.
The property’s landlord dlord told investigators he attended ttended the property on May y 26, just days before the incincident, and observed ed “nothing out of the e ordinary” but clearly saw the cover in place, the coroner’s report says.
A separate person referred to in the report, who was known to Aron, denied removing the cover and said he never noticed ced was missing.
The OIR investigation ation determined the metal that connected the live system em to the dog enclosure was a temporary cover plate, which was fabricated by the same company who the person worked for as an electrical apprentice.
During an interview with OIR this person denied placing the temporary cover plate over the exposed wires but accepted he may have brought it to the property and said he may have placed it on top of the hot water system with other “junk”.
His employer told the court that it had never been engaged to perform any work at the address or for the property’s owner.
Following its investigation, the ORI inferred the person, a fourth-year electrical apprentice, had previously performed unlicensed electrical work at the rental.
According to the report, it was identified that the unit’s wiring had been rerouted to bypass the electricity metre, effectively rendering the property un-metered.
Electrical safety investigators could not say who bypassed the metre, Ms Wilson’s report said.
“The power theft issue has no direct bearing on the circumstances surrounding Mr Gillman’s death, although it does suggest unregulated electrical work being performed at the property by a person or persons with the skill to do so,” Ms Wilson said in her report. The coroner’s report said the
OIR was unable to identify who removed and replaced the cover plate so no breach of duty could be substantiated.
Further, the report said that no breach of duty could be substantiated against the landlord as the investigation did not uncover any evidence that there was prior knowledge of the exposed parts on the hot water system or a failure to act on a reported electrical issue.
Ms Wilson decided not to hold an inquest into the death.