A coroner has blamed excessive service of alcohol as the main contributor in the deaths of two men who drowned months apart in a popular waterfront area after a night out.
Dr Robert Xu, 32, who drowned on November 7, 2019, and Jarrod Davies, 27, who died on February 8, 2020, had both been drinking at bars in Hobart before falling off the boardwalk and into the water below.
Almost a year after a joint inquest was held into the deaths of the two men - both who were visiting Tasmania- Coroner Robert Webster found they drowned after heavy drinking caused them to become 'incapable of looking after themselves', reported the Mercury.
Mr Xu attended a trainee dinner at a now closed Hobart restaurant, Glass House, where he had six to seven wines on the night of November 6.
The trainee surgeon from Melbourne kicked on with some others to Evolve Spirits Bar, where had at least another five whiskies.
Trainee surgeon Dr Robert Xu, 32, (pictured) drowned in 2019 after falling off a boardwalk in Hobart after a night of excessive drinking
The coroner found diving instructor, Jarrod Davies, 27, (pictured) was intoxicated and had been assaulted at one venue before disappearing off the end of Hobart's Elizabeth Street Pier
The young doctor then went to Mobius with one person and had one gin and tonic.
The coroner found that when Dr Xu he arrived at that establishment, he was already in a state of considerable intoxication.
Mr Webster said that before 1.30am, the 32-year-old and his associate parted ways and was he then alone.
In CCTV footage, the doctor was seen walking past waterfront venues just minutes before he appeared to walk off the footpath and fall into the water.
'The fact Dr Xu walked off the footpath over the ledge and into Victoria Dock is indicative of a loss of judgement, visual impairment and/or a reduction in his powers of perception and awareness caused by excessive alcohol consumption,' Mr Webster said of Dr Xu.
The coroner found Dr Xu's blood alcohol reading was likely to have been close to 0.228 at the time he fell into the water.
In the other tragic drowning, the coroner found Mr Davies, who was a diving instructor and in Tasmania with his father to complete a marine course, had consumed 21 drinks over nearly 12 hours.
The men had been walking along the waterfront in Hobart before falling in the water and drowning (pictured Hobart)
The counsel for Observatory Bar owner, Ian Vaughn, objected that service of alcohol at the venue was linked to Mr Davies' death.
The coroner did not agree.
'Mr Davies’ intoxication contributed to him either walking, tripping or slipping off the end of the pier and the level of intoxication was such as to render him incapable of extracting himself from the water,' he said.
'He was after all a very experienced open water diving instructor and he was a strong swimmer.'
Mr Davies was with his father at several Hobart venues, and is believed to have had 10 schooners over nine-and-a-half hours to 10pm.
The diving instructor then went to the Telegraph Hotel, where he is believed to have consumed seven vodka Red Bulls.
The men had been drinking (three months apart) in Hobart's popular waterfront area (pictured), before tragedy struck. The coroner has not recommended fences be installed as it is a working port
In the hours before his death at 11.44pm, Mr Davies had gone to the Observatory Bar with two other men and purchased 14 drinks - consuming at least six.
While at the venue, he suffered a 'forceful' assault where he was headbutted and punched in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.
After the incident, two crowd controllers removed the 27-year-old from the bar.
Mr Davies was then seen walking along the waterfront from 12.59am, alone.
The coroner had considered whether Mr Davies' assault had contributed to his death and found it was likely the 27-year-old had sustained a concussion.
'This occurred in a person who was already extremely intoxicated,' he said.
But Mr Webster found there wasn't any evidence that staff had witnessed the assault on Mr Davies.
The coroner said the 27-year-old was not 'looked after'.
'No bottle of water was then offered by the crowd controllers on Mr Davies’ exit,' he said.
In his findings, coroner Robert Webster recommendedEvolve Spirits Bar (pictured) review its procedures so a patron who buys multiple drinks does not consume all of them, and staff ensure the drinks are shared.
The venue was also found to have failed to follow procedure, which also contributed to Mr Davies' death.
'They would not have been admitted to the venue, or they would have been removed from the venue,’ he said.
'Clearly, they were admitted and there is no evidence of removal.'
Mr Webster made recommendations, including venues with out-of-hours permits be required to implement real-time CCTV monitoring and Evolve Spirits Bar review its procedures so a customer who buys multiple drinks does not consume them all - with staff ensuring drinks are shared.
The coroner did not recommend fencing be placed in the waterfront area as a safety feature as it would not be practical because it is a working port.
Tasports have since added 15 lifebuoys with lighting installed to be on between dusk and dawn.
Twelve safety ladders equipped with lighting were added, bringing the total to 42 in the area.
