A teenage girl has died from oxygen deprivation after eating pizza and chips, and then she went swimming, an inquest heard.
Lucy Reed, 15, went on a day trip to Cleethorpes with her mother, Liz, and a friend when the tragic incident occurred in June 2023.
A post-mortem examination by pathologist Dr Justin Cooke at Hull concluded Lucy died from asphyxia after inhaling gastric contents as she struggled to find safety in the deep water with a falling tide pulling her further away from safety.
Although it was determined that she had not drowned, she had vomited and inhaled the contents of her stomach after consuming a large lunch before swimming. One possible contributing reason might have been the salty water.
Greater Lincolnshire senior coroner Paul Smith said her death was ‘the unintended consequence of her swimming on a full stomach.’
At a nearby restaurant, where the party had an early lunch, Lucy’s mother advised her to wait for her meal to settle before swimming. A little while later, however, she demanded to swim before catching the coach home.
Lucy went with her friend near Cleethorpes Pier while her mother went for a stroll. They had agreed to meet back near the pier a short time afterwards.
However, when she failed to turn up, a major search and rescue operation was launched for Lucy, from Gainsborough, after her mother alerted authorities and called 999.
Rescuers discovered her later that evening, after more than three hours of searching. She was airlifted to Hull Royal Infirmary but was sadly pronounced dead, the inquest at Grimsby Town Hall heard.
After struggling to the shore, she vomited, inhaled her stomach contents, and collapsed.
The coroner concluded after a two-day hearing that her death was by misadventure.
In his record of inquest, he added: ‘Lucy Alexandra Reed died on 24 June 2023 in the River Humber at Cleethorpes as a consequence of asphyxiation. She had travelled to the coast for a day trip. She ate a substantial lunch and shortly thereafter went into the shallow water.’
He added: ‘The tide was falling and they rapidly found themselves out of their depth and drifting away from the shore. Neither were strong swimmers. After she had been in the water for approximately 30 minutes as Lucy tried to swim towards a point at which she could stand, she vomited, inhaling her gastric contents and losing consciousness.
‘Although her death was not formally confirmed for several hours, on balance of probability, it occurred within minutes of the incident described above. It was the unintended consequence of her swimming on a full stomach.’
His conclusion emphasised the perils of going into water after consuming a substantial meal.
After police checks as part of missing person procedures, the coastguard was alerted at 3.15 pm. Beach Safety staff and Humberside Police carried out land-based searches.
Mr Smith said: ‘It is clear much was going on behind the scenes to locate her.’ He said Lucy had ventured out of her depth in the water.
Cleethorpes beach and waterside were busy, the coroner said. At 3.51 pm, the Coastguard Inshore Lifeboat was launched and the crew searched 500 metres on either side of The Pier.
After an unsuccessful search, a further search was initiated at 4.35 pm. Rescuers endeavoured to establish the flow of water impacted by the wind, tide and weather conditions on the possible location of the teenager.
The senior coroner said he accepted a Coastguard report, which said looking out in the river without knowing where to look would have been futile. He said rescuers searched for more than three hours unsuccessfully.
Mr Smith said that at around 5 pm, information was passed to Humberside Police from a member of the public, who recalled seeing someone in difficulty about 600 metres off the beach at 2 pm.
The new information suggested a new search area further out into the river. The all-weather Coastguard Lifeboat was launched from Grimsby Docks, the inquest heard.
‘Almost immediately, she was found and was winched into the helicopter. CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) was given on the flight. But sadly, her death was confirmed at the hospital,’ said Mr Smith.
He said the two friends were not strong swimmers fighting an outgoing tide, but the friend managed to reach safety. Lucy had been in the water about 30 to 40 minutes by that time – an hour before a missing person report was launched.
Mr Smith said: ‘At 15 years, Lucy should have been safe and old enough to keep safe.’
The senior coroner said the Coastguard and Beach Safety staff had received a total of 22 Missing Person Alerts within the same time in which Lucy was missing.
Humberside Police had a comparable volume of reports of missing people.
‘An earlier search would not have lessened any delay,’ said Mr Smith.
He added: ‘Her death resulted due to getting out of her depth and being taken deeper by the tide, and she was unable to get back to dry land. She was in distress, and as a result, she aspirated. Her death was due to misadventure.’
The senior coroner thanked the Coastguard for the quality and clarity of their evidence in reports and statements.
To Lucy’s mother, he said he could not imagine how the past two years since the tragedy had been for her and her family.
‘After many years in my role, the fact never leaves me that there is nothing that I say will take away the heartache you go through. The best I can do is offer a wish that time gives you some relief.’
After the hearing, a spokesman for The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: ‘Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by the tragic events of 24 June 2023.
‘Incoming tides don’t just come in from out at sea – they can also sneak up behind you and cut off your exit route, leaving you stranded and in danger. By knowing when it’s high and low tide, you can make sure you’ll get back in plenty of time without putting yourself at risk.’
Almost £1,000 was raised for the RNLI in remembrance of Lucy and her family and friends, who set up an appeal.
Numerous people always think that swimming or taking a bath after a heavy meal is a myth, but people need to be sufficiently informed because this can be tragic for all concerned.
There were loads of things that my mother would drum into me as a child. No talking to strange men on the street, don’t get into cars that offer you a lift when you don’t know the driver, and there are many more. It frightened the living daylights out of me.
This should be a reminder to all children and teenagers: do as your parents tell you. They don’t tell you for the benefit of their health, they do it for the benefit of yours!
Anybody else hear their mum in their head? ‘Let your dinner go down’ was the standard order before doing anything vaguely physical.
Around 5 pm, information was passed to Humberside Police from a member of the public who remembered seeing someone in difficulty approximately 600 metres off the beach at 2 pm. Did it not occur to phone the coastguard at the time – perhaps if they had, the girl would still be alive.
I just don’t understand how or why someone who could see a person in difficulty, but chose to wait before contacting someone.
Subjects like this should be taught in school, but schools these days don’t believe that it’s in their remit to impart such knowledge to kids and that it’s a parent’s job to do that.
If school can teach sex education, AIDS and condom use, they can inform about the perils of swimming in the sea on a full stomach.
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