A coroner may make recommendations that relate to public health and safety following an investigation to help prevent similar deaths in the future. 

Fatal facts is a unique NCIS tool providing access to case summaries where coronial recommendations were made by Australian coroners from 2013. 

Cases are added to the tool quarterly by the NCIS Unit. 

Fatal facts contains summaries of coronial cases, findings and recommendations. If you or someone you can for is in need of assistance, support services are available.

Guide - How to search Fatal facts (PDF, 1.99 MB) (External link)

Search Fatal facts (External link)

 

Scope and limitations

Only cases where coronial recommendations have been made and with a Coroner closed date in the NCIS within the relevant period are included in Fatal facts. Fatal facts contains cases closed by an Australian coroner from 2013. 

Fatal facts is based on information available in the NCIS at the time of reporting. Fatal facts is distinct from the secure NCIS database which requires authorisation to access. Fatal facts contents are publicly available through the tool and do not require a user login. Not all cases in the NCIS have a corresponding Fatal facts summary. 

Fatal facts case summaries are produced by the NCIS Unit. Best efforts have been made to accurately summarise the circumstances, findings and recommendations made by the coroner in each case. Despite this, it should be noted that they are not exact replications of coronial findings. 

Cases included in Fatal facts have received coronial approval from the relevant State or Chief Coroner for publication. 

New Zealand coronial recommendations (External link) are published by Coronial Services of New Zealand and are not included in Fatal facts. 

 

Frequently asked questions

How do I search Fatal facts? 

See our how-to guide for instructions on searching Fatal facts above. 

How do I download case summaries from Fatal facts? 

Click the Case summary PDF icon to view the summary. Select Print and choose the print to PDF function in printer settings. 

Why can’t I find the case I’m looking for? 

Only cases where coronial recommendations have been made and with a Coroner closed date in the NCIS within the relevant period are included in Fatal facts. Fatal facts contains cases closed by an Australian coroner from 2013. 

Cases are added to the tool regularly by the NCIS Unit. Cases of interest may become available in future editions. See Scope and limitations for further information. 

Can I obtain more information about a case? 

Authorised NCIS users may access further case details by selecting the Access case link in the Fatal facts results screen or using the Jump to function in NCIS to look up the NCIS number. Case availability is dependent upon user access levels. 

No further case details are available to other Fatal facts users. 

How do I report an issue with Fatal facts?

Contact ncis@ncis.org.au (External link) if you experience any issues with Fatal facts or require training to assist you in searching the tool.

 

Copyright

Content is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), unless otherwise stated. Attribution must be provided to the National Coronial Information System (NCIS).

 

Suggested citation for NCIS Fatal facts summaries

National Coronial Information System (n.d.). Fatal facts – <NCIS number>. National Coronial Information System (NCIS). Available at: https://www.ncis.org.au/research-publications/fatal-facts [Accessed <date>].

 

Support services

If you or someone you care for is in need of assistance, support services are available.