Family fights for answers after father-of-three fell off a charter boat and was left treading water for 12 hours before drowning
- Damien Mills fell off a charter boat and was treading water for 12 hours in Perth
- Mr Mills was waiting for rescue that never arrived and eventually drowned
- A coronial inquest found he had a 99.9% chance of being found alive
- Wife, Nicole Mills wants those responsible to be held accountable for his death
A woman has demanded answers after her husband drowned after falling from a charter boat and was left to drown because no-one went to look for him.
Five years after Damien Mills' body was found 5km off a Perth beach his wife Nicole is looking for an explanation as to why no one has been held responsible for his death.
Mr Mills fell off a Rottnest Island charter boat, Ten-Sixty-Six, and was left treading water for 12 hours awaiting rescue which never arrived, The West Australian reported.
Five years after her husband's body was found 5km off a Perth beach, Nicole Mills is looking for an explanation as to why no one has been held responsible for his death
According to a coronial inquest, Mr Mills had a 99.9 per cent chance of being found alive if police knew what charter boat he had fallen from
According to a coronial inquest, Mr Mills had a 99.9 per cent chance of being found alive if police knew he had fallen into the water.
Mr Mills was found in his underwear indicating that he fought to survive while waiting for help.
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The tragic accident has left Mrs Mills raising their three children alone, and she is heartbroken that no one has been held responsible.
'I find it very hard to live with what has happened,' Mrs Mills told The West Australian.
'If the wrong thing has been done, nothing happens? That is concerning to me. It is just unbelievable, this is unbelievable.'
Damien Mills fell off a Rottnest Island charter boat, Ten-Sixty-Six (pictured), and was treading water for 12 hours
The charter company, Dolphin Dive Centre and skipper Daniel Lippiatt have not charged or fined.
The inquest found they did not adhere to safety rules but they did not break the law.
Mrs Mills said she wants whoever is responsible to be held to account to ensure the same thing doesn't occur to someone else.
'I just don't want somebody else to feel the pain of waking up every day without their husband, and looking at my children knowing there was a 99.9 per cent chance that he could have been found alive,' she said.
The Senate inquiry into Mr Mills death will begin its hearings in Perth on March 21.
Mrs Mills said she wants whoever is responsible to be held to account to ensure the same thing doesn't occur to someone else
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