Private Liam Wolf, aged 18 from Queensland, was left in a critical condition on April 19, 2019 when he fell from a ladder while climbing down a tunnel entry shaft as part of a training exercise.

Deputy State Coroner Magistrate Derek Lee on Wednesday handed down his finding that Private Wolf death the was the result of an unexpected arrhythmogenic event in his heart, leading to the fall and the subsequent injuries.

Mr Lee found that PTE Wolf most likely had a common pre-existing heart condition such as Brugada syndrome, which causes irregular heartbeats, or CPVT, which causes abnormally fast heartbeats.

Mr Lee found the Army could not have identified Mr Lee's condition during training but could not determine that reasonable safety precautions had been taken for an obstacle with the unique feature of an underground section filled with water.

Private Wolf suffered blunt force trauma to the head while falling down the underground shaft followed by a brain injury from a lack of oxygen and cardiac arrest after landing in a water-filled tunnel.

In other news

Recruit instructors attempted to resuscitate PTE Wolf, as did two NSW Ambulance paramedics who later arrived on scene.

The paramedics also used a defibrillator on PTE Wolf once he was removed from the tunnel and he was transported to Wagga Base Hospital and flown by helicopter to St George Hospital in Sydney, where he later died.

"However, despite being in a critical but stable condition, PTE Wolf's prognosis remained poor," Mr Lee's finding stated.

"PTE Wolf's condition later deteriorated and he was tragically pronounced life extinct on 23 April 2019, having died in honourable service to his nation."

Mr Lee accepted the testimony of recruit Gabrielle Worth, who said the ladder was made of metal and wet at the time but PTE Wolf did not slip off.

PTE Worth had climbed down the shaft ahead of PTE Wolf, proceeded through the underground tunnel and up the exit shaft, and then watched him climb down when his face turned "blank and expressionless" before suddenly letting go of the ladder.

PTE Wolf twice presented to Kapooka Medical Centre during his training, the first instance being in week three for fever symptoms that resulted in an overnight stay at the centre and treatment with medication.

The second presentation in week nine was for vomiting and diarrhoea, resulting in two days medical isolation, medication and a further two days of limited duty.

PTE Wolf's instructor noted that he was tired on the day of the incident but had no trouble with completing prior obstacles.

"The evidence establishes that there was no opportunity, either during the initial recruitment process or from PTE Wolf's two presentations ... for his underlying cardiac condition to be identified," Mr Lee stated.

Mr Lee recommended that the Australian Defence Force consider the use of electrocardiograms (ECG) to screen new recruits for signs of potential health issues that could be further investigated by other means.

Mr Lee also recommended that any future use of the tunnel obstacle should come with research into how it could be modified to allow drainage of water and rapid extraction of a recruit suffering a medical episode.

PTE Wolf was posthumously awarded the graduate rank of Private and afforded a military funeral.

"It is a further testament to PTE Wolf's qualities that one of the legacies he left behind was the gift of organ donation, selflessly allowing another person to live and to take such a positive away from an otherwise tragic outcome," Mr Lee stated.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: