When the Coroner is involved
You are not obliged to to use the funeral director who transported the person's body to the Coroner after death.
Which deaths are reported?
Unexpected death - any death can be unexpected. A doctor who has been regularly treating a patient may have an opinion about the cause of death. But if the person's death was not expected at that time by the treating doctor, it needs to be thoroughly investigated.
Accident or injury - even when the cause of death seems clear, the Coroner still needs to find out what happened. For example, a car accident may have been caused by the driver having a heart attack or by a fault in the car. Identifying what contributed to the accident allows preventative measures to be recommended.
Held in care - the definition of 'held in care' is very broad. It includes people in police custody, people in gaol, involuntary patients in psychiatric institutions, and children in juvenile justice centres. It does not usually involve people in hospitals or nursing homes.
A death must be referred to the Coroner for investigation when:
- the person died unexpectedly,
- the person died from an accident or injury,
- the person died in a violent or unnatural way,
- the person died during or as a result of an anaesthetic,
- the person was 'held in care' immediately before they died,
- a doctor has been unable to sign a death certificate giving the cause of death, or
- the identity of the person who has died is not known.
The First 24 hours
- The person's body will be taken to the Coronial Services Centre if they died in Melbourne or to a regional hospital if they died in the country.
- You should contact a funeral director so that you can begin to make the funeral arrangements.
- You may be asked to identify the person.
- The coroner will decide whether an autopsy needs to be performed. If so, it will usually happen within 48 hours. If you want to object to an autopsy, contact the coroner's office immediately.
- If you are a family member, staff from the Donor Tissue Bank may contact you to ask if you agree to tissue donation.
Coroners Responsibilities
The Coroner is a magistrate (who has a background in legal matters). Under the Coroners Act 1985, when a death is reported, the Coroner's job is to find out:
- the identity of the deceased,
- how death occurred,
- the cause of death,
- the particulars needed to register the death
In some cases the Coroner may comment and make recommendations about public health or safety or the administration of justice, to help prevent similar deaths occuring.
There does not have to be anything suspicious about the death for the Coroner to be involved. Most investigations involve people who have died of natural causes (for example, when the death has occurred in a public place). The Coroner also has the power to investigate fires, whether or not anyone has died.
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Identifying the body
The person's body must be formally identified by someone who knew the person well (usually a friend or relative). If you were present at or soon after the death, you may be asked to identify the person at the place of death.
If the person was not identified at the place of death, you will need to go to the Coronial Services Centre in Melbourne or the local hospital. You should ring the Centre or country police to arrange a suitable time. Only one person is needed to make the identification, but it is a good idea to take someone with you, as identifying someone you know can be upsetting.
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What happens at a visual identification
An identification form will be completed, giving the name, address, age and occupation of the person who has died, how long you have known them, and your relationship to them. You will then by taken to a viewing room. Once you have identified the person, you will be asked to sign a statement of identification.
Viewing the person's body at the Coronial Services Centre is only for identification purposes. The body will be in another room, on the other side of a glass panel, and you will not be able to touch the body. It may be different if you are identifying the body at a hospital. Arrangements can be made with the funeral director for a private viewing later.
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Making funeral arrangements
*You are not obliged to to use the funeral director who transported the person's body to the Coroner after death.*
You may contact a funeral director as soon as the person has died, without waiting for the coroner to release the body. As soon as the autopsy (if there is one) and identification have been done, the person's body will be released to your funeral director (usually within 48 hours). Once you have engaged a funeral director, they will contact the Coroner's staff on your behalf to make the necessary arrangements.
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Person belongings and clothing
Personal belongings (e.g. jewellery) may be removed by the police and given to the family at the place of death. Otherwise, in Melbourne, personal belongings are given to the funeral director to return to the family. In country Victoria, belongings are usually collected by the family at the relevant police station.
Clothing is returned to the funeral director when they arrange to transfer the deceased. In some cases, clothing is damaged. You may want to discuss with your funeral director what happens to this clothing. Some items may need to be retained for forensic examination. If you have any queries, contact your funeral director or the coroner's office.
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Getting a Death Certificate
Once the medical cause of death has been determined and the body is released to the funeral director, the Coroner's office passes information on to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages so that the death can be registered. The Registry is responsible for issuing an official Death Certificate, which is needed for settling the person's estate. You can check with the Registry as to how long this will take (Ph: 9603 5855).
Many funeral directors include the cost of a full Death Certificate in the funeral expenses - if so, you will receive the certificate in the mail automatically. Otherwise, the Registry of Birth, Deaths and Marriages will send an extract of the certificate to the next-of-kin and if you want the full certificate you will have to pay a fee.
(Adapted from 'When a Person Dies - The Coroner's Process)
For more information please visit the State Coroners Office www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au
