A coroner has released his findings into the death of a man who drowned in a storm drain in Wellington in January 2013.
Coroner Garry Evans says Peter Black had been drinking at several bars on Courtenay Place in Wellington before his death and had also been awake for 24 hours.
Mr Black dropped his keys down a culvert when he returned to his van and then fell head first into the drain when he shifted the grate and tried to retrieve them.
Mr Evans says a combination of alcohol and tiredness probably influenced Mr Black's decision- making.
He made no recommendation for the Wellington City Council to improve the safety of the drain.
Police applied to the liquor licensing authority to suspend the licenses of bars where Mr Black had been drinking.
The license of The Mermaid Bar was suspended for 24 hours for allowing alcohol Mr Black bought there to be taken off-site. The Splash Club got a 48-hour suspension for selling to Mr Black while intoxicated.
