# Safety officer marked dying girl 'safe' despite coma

> A child safety officer incorrectly assessed Elizabeth Struhs as safe one day after she arrived at hospital in a coma, a coroner's court heard.
- Title: Safety officer marked dying girl 'safe' despite coma
- Summary: A child safety officer incorrectly assessed Elizabeth Struhs as safe one day after she arrived at hospital in a coma, a coroner's court heard. A Queensland…
- Keywords: elizabeth struhs, child safety, queensland, toowoomba, diabetic ketoacidosis, religious sect, coroner's inquest, child protection, news, politics, Safety, officer
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/14/child-safety-officer-incorrectly-assessed-elizabeth-struhs-as-safe-a-day-after-she-was-admitted-to-hospital-in-a-coma-ntwnfb
- Published: 2026-10-14T08:08:10+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: elizabeth struhs, child safety, queensland, toowoomba, diabetic ketoacidosis, religious sect, coroner's inquest, child protection, news, politics
## Eight-year-old admitted in coma
Elizabeth Struhs, who had type one diabetes, presented to Toowoomba hospital in a coma suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis on seventeen July two thousand nineteen.
## Safety officer marked her safe next day
One day after Elizabeth was transferred to Queensland children's hospital in Brisbane, a child safety officer completed an initial safety assessment and marked her safe.
## Colleague says assessment was wrong
The officer's colleague told the court that Elizabeth should have been recorded as unsafe because they did not have enough information about her circumstances at the time.
## Doctor warned against sending her home
A doctor from Queensland children's hospital told the safety officer Elizabeth was lucky not to have died and that it would be unsafe for her to live with her mother until she changed her views…

> The team feel that the only way to force mum to see the concerns may be for Elizabeth to be out of home.
## Elizabeth returned home anyway
Elizabeth was sent home despite objections from Brisbane-based specialist paediatric doctors. She was placed under an intervention parental agreement, a voluntary arrangement allowing child safety authorities to aid a child without a protection order.
## Officer admits safety plan was weak
The child safety officer said the safety plan adopted for Elizabeth could have been more robust in hindsight.

> in hindsight, could have been more robust
## She died after parents stopped insulin
Elizabeth died on seven January two thousand twenty-two while her parents prayed for her healing.Her father had stopped giving her insulin after converting to the family's religious sect and being convinced to stop treating her.
## Key takeaway

A Queensland child safety officer wrongly assessed eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs as safe one day after she was hospitalised in a coma from diabetic ketoacidosis, leading to her return home where she died in January 2022.