Skating instructor Natasha Lawton dies after fall on Adelaide’s Hindley St; community mourns

Natasha “Tash” Lawton, a 20-year-old teacher’s aide and skating instructor, died early Sunday after falling from the Rosemont Hotel on Hindley Street in Adelaide’s CBD. Emergency services were called to the corner of Hindley and Morphett streets about 4:10am, but paramedics could not save her.

The drainpipe fall at the Rosemont Hotel

Police were alerted to the licensed venue just after 4am on Halloween night, when the city was busy with revellers. Nine reported she had been trying to climb a drainpipe outside the pub when she fell, and other outlets carried reports that the pipe broke as she scaled it, sending her to the ground. Bystanders and paramedics tried to revive her, but she died at the scene.

Accounts differ on her connection to the venue that night. One outlet reported she was attending a Halloween party at the hotel, while another, citing the Daily Mail, said she had been walking past and was not a patron. SA Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

Andrew Hudson Calls Lawton ‘Very Sensible’

Lawton worked as a teacher’s aide supporting primary school children with additional needs while studying for a teaching degree at Adelaide University. The Nightly reported she was studying online.

Skating instructor Natasha Lawton dies after fall on Adelaide’s Hindley St; community mourns — Photo: Yahoo News Australia

She was also a talented artistic skater who taught others the sport, and a keen skier and traveller who had recently visited Japan and Victoria’s Falls Creek. She reportedly looked forward to returning to Hakuba in Japan for the upcoming ski season.

Her friend Andrew Hudson told the Adelaide Advertiser that her actions on the night she died were out of character.

He described her as a very sensible person.

“She wasn’t a silly person. It’s just a very unfortunate thing that we’ve all done when we were that age, we’ve done silly things,” he said. “In this case, it turned into a tragedy.”

Andrew Hudson, family friend, to the Adelaide Advertiser

He recalled that she would rush to comfort any child who fell, and told reporters: The thing that stands out about Tash the most is just how giving and caring she was.

A teacher’s aide who died after falling from a drainpipe outside a popular Aussie pub while celebrating Halloween has been — Photo: The Nightly

Team Skate FX Leads Tributes to Lawton

Lawton’s death has devastated her family, friends and Adelaide’s skating community. In a post shared to Facebook, Team SkateFX remembered her as a much-loved member of the community:

“So sad to hear of the passing of beautiful Tash (Natasha Lawton),” the group wrote. “RIP beautiful girl, taken too soon you will be missed,” “Team Skate FX and the skating community send much love and strength to Tash’s family and friends at this sad time.”

Team Skate FX, in a Facebook post

Dozens of bouquets have been laid outside the Rosemont Hotel, with loved ones leaving messages for the 20-year-old.

Authorities Investigate Rosemont Hotel Death

Police are preparing a report for the coroner. They said footage of the incident might have been captured by members of the public and urged anyone with relevant vision to contact them.

Police strongly urge people not to share any vision of the incident on social media or by any other means, out of respect for the woman and her family,

SA Police spokesperson

SafeWork SA investigators attended the scene on Sunday morning because of initial reports about the nature of the incident. The agency confirmed it was continuing to make enquiries into the death, and what those enquiries will find is not yet known.

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