A teenager who died of a fatal overdose was scheduled to visit a counselor who specializes in drug and alcohol addiction on the day he died.
Tyrone Woxwold, 15, was found lying on the floor of an apartment in Richmond, Melbourne’s south-east, on November 24, 2019.
Emergency services rushed to the scene after his mother Carolyn Woxvold found her son unconscious.
Tyrone could not be saved and health authorities ruled his death not suspicious.
On Tuesday, coroner Sarah Gebert determined that Tyrone died of an accidental overdose of heroin and methamphetamine.
An inquest heard he was due to visit a drug and alcohol worker later that day.
Mrs Gebert said Tryone was a vulnerable member of the community.
Mrs Woxvold had previously said that health authorities should have provided her son with better care.
The coroner ruled Tuesday that Tyrone Woxwold, 15 (pictured), died of an accidental overdose of heroin and methamphetamine
“He slipped through the net, he should have been monitored more closely,” she told the Herald Sun.
“The system failed him. He trusted them and they weren’t there when he needed them,”
Tyrone lived just a few yards away from a safe injection facility in the city, a medically supervised facility that helps people use drugs safely.
He should not have been allowed into the facility, as the service is only available to those 18 years of age and older.
Tyrone began losing a lot of weight after he started using methamphetamine, but the side effects of the drug made him feel better about himself.
Tyrone attended Westall Secondary College in Melbourne’s south-east in 2015.
He had difficulty attending school regularly and was soon expelled.
An inquest heard that Tyrone (pictured right) was due to visit a drug and alcohol counselor on the day he died
He started using drugs when he lived in the apartment with his mother and her partner.
Ms Gebert will release the full findings in a written statement later.
In 2023, the state government introduced legislation to make the Medically Supervised Injecting Service (MSIR) an ongoing service in North Richmond.
The step was taken after the MSIR was tested for five years, from 2018 to 2022.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Victoria Health for comment.
