Girl, 15, dies while swimming on full stomach 'after eating pizza and chips'

A 15-year-old girl has died after being swept away in a river by the tide while swimming on a full stomach of pizza and chips, an inquest has heard, leading a senior coroner to issue a starkwarning to parents.

Lucy Reed, 15, went swimming with her friend just off Cleethorpes beach on June 24, 2023. Her mother, Liz, raised the alarm when her daughter failed to meet her at the pre-arranged meeting point, with an urgent search and rescue operationlaunched at 2pm the same day.

It was heard rescuers spent hours searching for the teenage girl in the water. Later that evening, Lucy was discovered and subsequently airlifted to the Hull Royal Infirmary. Tragically, she was pronounced dead an inquest at Grimsby Town Hall heard. It comes after a man dies after wife runs him over in car park in 'tragic accident'.

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Dr Justin Cooke concluded the 15 year old from Gainsborough had died from asphyxia after inhaling gastric contents as she battled to find safety in the deep water with a falling tide dragging her further away from shore, a post-mortem examination concluded, reports Birmingham Live.

Greater Lincolnshire senior coroner, Paul Smith, ruled Lucy's death was by misadventure after the two-day hearing.

He said: "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.

"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 underscored the risks of swimming after consuming a large meal. Lucy's mum shared with the inquest that they had taken a day trip to Cleethorpes on June 24 on a coach, arriving at 10.20am.

The coach was scheduled to depart at 2.30pm and Lucy was keen to have a swim. After enjoying some time in the arcades, where her mum often referred to her as "The Arcade Queen," they decided to have an early lunch at 11.30am at a local eatery.

Her mum advised her to wait a bit to let her lunch of pizza and chips settle before going for a swim. Lucy agreed and they returned to the arcades.

However, after just a few moments, the daughter insisted that she wanted to go for a swim before getting on the coach home.

She went for a dip with her mate near Cleethorpes Pier around 1pm, while her mum took a stroll. They planned to meet back near The Pier shortly afterwards.

On the hottest day of the summer, the resort was bustling with people. When Lucy didn't show up as planned, her mum started looking for her.

She tried to get help from the Beach Safety Hub opposite the Pier, but it was shut. She then tried to ring a number she found on a notice at The Hub. Around 1.30pm, an environment officer escorted her back to the Beach Safety Hub.

She was urged to report her daughter as missing to Humberside Police. At 2.22pm, she dialled 999. Following police procedures for missing persons, The Coastguard was notified at 3.15pm.

Both Beach Safety staff and Humberside Police initiated land-based searches. Mr Smith stated: "It is clear much was going on behind the scenes to locate her."

He mentioned that Lucy had strayed too far into the water. The coroner noted that Cleethorpes beach and waterside were crowded. At 3.51pm, The Coastguard Inshore Lifeboat was deployed, and the crew searched 500 metres on either side of The Pier.

After the initial search yielded no results, another search began at 4.35pm. Rescuers tried to determine how the wind, tide and weather conditions might have affected the water flow and potentially the teenager's location.

The senior coroner said he accepted a Coastguard report which suggested that searching in the river without knowing where to look would have been pointless. He noted that rescuers searched for over three hours without success.

At 4.44pm the air sea rescue helicopter was formally requested, though it had been undergoing a training mission beforehand and had looked for Lucy along the seafront. It went for refuelling and returned at 5.17pm.

Mr Smith said at around 5pm 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 2pm.

Mr Smith said the new information suggested a new search area further out into the river. The all-weather Coastguard Lifeboat was launched from Grimsby Docks.

"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 added the post mortem examination confirmed she had not drowned. But after eating a substantial meal before swimming, she had vomited and inhaled the contents of her stomach.

The salt water may have been a contributory factor. He said the two friends were not strong swimmers fighting an out-going tide. The friend reached safety.

Lucy had been in the water about 30 to 40 minutes by that time, which was estimated to be around 1.15pm. That was about an hour before a missing person report was generated. At 3.15pm an inshore lifeboat was launched.

Mr Smith said: "At 15 years, Lucy should have been safe and old enough to keep safe." The senior coroner revealed that The Coastguard and Beach Safety staff had received a total of 22 Missing Person Alerts within the same time in which Lucy was missing, with Humberside Police dealing with a similar volume of reports.

Cleethorpes lifeboat team had been searching for more than three hours. "An earlier search would not have lessened any delay," Mr Smith stated.

He further 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 mum, he said he could not imagine how the past two years since the tragedy had been for her and her family."

The senior coroner expressed his gratitude to The Coastguard for the quality and clarity of their evidence in reports and statements. To Lucy's mum, 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."

Around £1,000 was raised for the RNLI in memory of Lucy and her family and friends set up an appeal. 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."

The spokesman warned: "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."

For advice on staying safe by the coast, visit https://hmcoastguard.uk/safety-advice.