Swansea household name for motion after boy, 13, drowns in River Tawe

The household of a boy who drowned in a river have raised issues over youngsters swimming in the identical space.

Kane Edwards was 13 when he went swimming within the River Tawe in Swansea with a good friend in May 2022.

His foot turned caught in a submerged tree and he spent greater than an hour underwater earlier than emergency companies discovered him.

Speaking after the inquest into Kane’s dying, his household expressed concern that the closest lifebuoy to the positioning the place he died is a 20-minute stroll away.

Swansea council informed the inquest numerous indicators had been positioned within the space, however it’s going to rethink a lifebuoy.

After a two-day inquest in Swansea, coroner Edward Ramsay concluded Kane’s dying was unintended.

He mentioned he drowned “as a consequence of becoming trapped by underwater debris in fast-flowing water”.

Mr Ramsay mentioned he was “absolutely satisfied” that whereas there “may have been some delays” within the emergency companies attending, that they had no “causative impact” on Kane’s dying.

He added “Kane tragically probably drowned at the moment he was last seen by his friend”.

Mr Ramsay mentioned when Kane went swimming, he was “absolutely not aware of the hazards beneath”.

The coroner mentioned he needed to obtain additional data from the Welsh Ambulance Service earlier than deciding whether or not or to not situation a prevention of future deaths report.

Members of Kane’s household have known as for a lifebuoy to be positioned on the website the place he died simply outdoors Swansea Enterprise Park.

Speaking after the inquest, his uncle Gethin Edwards mentioned that given the spot was “a known swimming area for children, at the minimum there should be a lifebuoy present there”.

“The nearest lifebuoy is about 20 minutes walk from where this happened.

“Just final night time there have been 5 or 6 youngsters swimming within the river on this space,” he mentioned.

“It’s a well known swimming spot in Morriston, so Kane was not going to be the primary or final individual to be swimming there,” he added.

Swansea council told the inquest a number of signs had been placed in the area, but it will reconsider a lifebuoy.

Kane’s family told the inquest they accepted he had died in a “tragic accident”.

They thanked members of the emergency services who tried to help him and said they were comforted that local services had made changes where needed.

On Monday the court heard Kane’s post-mortem examination confirmed he had died from drowning after going into freezing water at a river with rock weirs and deep pools, where he became trapped by the current.

During the hearing, Welsh Ambulance Service call handler Hannah Stanley said locating the incident was difficult as the what3words app – an app which pinpoints your exact position with three unique words – failed, though her call handling met required standards.

Coroner Edward Ramsay also questioned the service manager of the Welsh Ambulance Service Andrew Garner and asked if “priceless time had been misplaced” in establishing the location of the incident.

Mr Garner said the ambulance service discussed the incident but found no full report needed.

On Tuesday, Mr Garner told Kane’s family call handler training had been improved so automatic location systems were now used first before asking callers for more detail.

The court heard neither Kane’s friend who was swimming with him nor the police could initially provide a precise location, until the boy suggested a suitable spot for emergency services to park on the correct side of the River Tawe.

Mr Garner said crews were dispatched to a nearby point, with the location “up to date en route” as more accurate information came in.

The inquest also heard from Swansea Council’s water safety manager Andrew Suter, who said there had been no previous incidents at the site before Kane’s death.

Since then the world has been danger assessed, with warning indicators put up alongside the river, a lifebuoy positioned at a fishing platform upstream, and plans to plant hawthorn bushes close to the weirs to discourage swimmers.