Tragedy - water safety

I Heart Internet

http://www.herald.ie/news/courts/mum-fell-in-canal-and-drowned-in-bid-to-see-wasps-3050280.html

This is a very sad story. It is all the more sad because it seems so preventable. If the person had been able to swim, or more precisely, just able to stay calm in the water this would not have happened. Or, even if one of them could swim.

Very sad. Please teach your kids to swim and if you're an adult who can't, get yourself to a swimming pool and learn the basics.

seamus

Very sad indeed.

There are four absolutely essential things that all children should be taught how to do before their fourth birthday - Walk, run, swim & cycle. In that order.

I Heart Internet

seamus wrote: »

Very sad indeed.

There are four absolutely essential things that all children should be taught how to do before their fourth birthday - Walk, run, swim & cycle. In that order.

Personally I think cycle is an optional extra. You're unlikely to die due to lack of cycling proficiency.....i.e. you just won't cycle.

This lady was, unfortunetly, not just unable to swim, but entirely unable to remain calm in any depth of water.

stupidusername

I'm a little confused as to how you can drown in chest-height water.

SEPT 23 1989

Funny Headline though

Dyr

Sad story but shows the truth of these words

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88PFP3wtGzY

GLaDOS

stupidusername wrote: »

I'm a little confused as to how you can drown in chest-height water.

It said he was in chest high water, I'm assuming she was in a deeper part?

Bit ridiculous between 2 adults, neither could swim.

hondasam

stupidusername wrote: »

I'm a little confused as to how you can drown in chest-height water.

I have read it a few times myself, they both might have been afraid of water and panicked.It's easy to think you could pull someone out but if they were thrashing about it would be difficult.
I would say he just could not think what to do simple as that. Tragedy all round.

danniemcq

stupidusername wrote: »

I'm a little confused as to how you can drown in chest-height water.

panic, plain and simple.

If you lose footing say waist deep and your head goes under the panic that follows if you can't swim or just fear water will make you lose all common sense. you flap your arms kick your legs can't find footing, panic more start gasping for air, do that as your head is under water and thats pretty much game over.

I've spent countless days on the beech and had to jump in and rescue a few people before that were 4 or 5 foot from shore and again waist deep in water.

And when you feel like you are in this life and death stuggle nothing makes sense if you are freaking. You have to relax first and foremost and let your brain think. There has been times when people have nearly faught with people rescuing them in the sea

Like said in the article the husband could have saved her if she had calmed down.

A tragic event so easily avoided

stupidusername

i see. and i suppose the bed could've been muddy too, less grip.

John Doe1

Her husband Kevin told the inquest how they left their home in Holmshill, Blueball, in Tullamore

Sorry

RichieC

Why would anyone want to see a wasps nest... horrible bastards they are...

Sad story though

syklops

stupidusername wrote: »

I'm a little confused as to how you can drown in chest-height water.

You can drown in an inch of water.

In chest height water, you have to get to get your head above chest height. Which means orientating your body in water which she was unable to do. Its hard when you dont know how. There are people who have tried to learn to swim and failed but as another poster said its not just swimming, its being able to be in the water and stay calm. My mother taught me how to float. Worst case scenario i roll onto my back and float. I could even sleep while floating if necessary(hope I'll never have to). Being an island folk we should teach that to every child.

cynder

My mother cant swim, she is 61 now and can only go in waist high water, taking her to italy and she can only go in the little pool with the kids. She was held underwater when she was little and has had a phobia for years and years, she could only go up to her knees but now she can go up to her waist.

Rocky_Dennis

I didn't hear any mention of a lifebuoy in the article. I presume there wasn't one in proximity if the husband went to the car for some rope. Simple thing such as a lifebuoy could also have prevented this tragedy from happening

gurramok

I can't swim and do have a phobia of the water. Despite being surrounded by rivers canals and the sea on the other side, I keep well away from the water and hardly go to the beach unless well away from the waves. Even if I get near the edge of the canal while walking I get nervous, I stay well away. Though i'm in my 30's, I do think if I was taught to swim as a child, I wouldn't be so afraid of the water now, just a theory

pickarooney

Rocky_Dennis wrote: »

I didn't hear any mention of a lifebuoy in the article. I presume there wasn't one in proximity if the husband went to the car for some rope. Simple thing such as a lifebuoy could also have prevented this tragedy from happening

Doubtful. She wouldn't have had the presence of mind to hold onto and let herself be pulled ashore by the sounds of things.

suitseir

RichieC wrote: »

Why would anyone want to see a wasps nest... horrible bastards they are...

Sad story though

I am not a great swimmer but I would be more afraid of a wasps nest and would run a mile from it! Strange to want to look at it!!!

SeaFields

gurramok wrote: »

I can't swim and do have a phobia of the water. Despite being surrounded by rivers canals and the sea on the other side, I keep well away from the water and hardly go to the beach unless well away from the waves. Even if I get near the edge of the canal while walking I get nervous, I stay well away. Though i'm in my 30's, I do think if I was taught to swim as a child, I wouldn't be so afraid of the water now, just a theory

We're in and around the same age. I couldn't swim til I met my now girlfriend who grew up beside the sea. I used to be very uncomfortable in the water, even to the point that in the shower the water running over my face would freak me out.

In my girlfriends area, they hold two weeks of swimming classes at the local beach after school finished up in the summer. They are taught everything to do with swimming, lifesaving and survival at sea from the age of 5.

She is like a fish and got me swimming at my own pace over the course of a summer a couple of years back. If you can find someone patient enough to teach you, do it. You don't know what you're missing out on!

Zen65

pickarooney wrote: »

Doubtful. She wouldn't have had the presence of mind to hold onto and let herself be pulled ashore by the sounds of things.

Most people will, when panicking in water, grab anything they can get their hands on (including the rescuer - which is a risk for both of them).

It's hard to understand why he did not remove an item of clothing (his shirt, for example) and use it to reach out to her (holding one end of it). She would probably have grabbed it and that would have allowed him to pull her in. Strange that he had the presence of mind to check his car for rope, and then drive off for help, but not the presence of mind to use what he had with him at the time? I'm not suggesting anything sinister . . . it's a fact that panic can prevent you from doing the most logically simple of things.

It certainly is a lesson on the importance of learning to swim. My children were "forced" to take swimming lessons from an early age, and to follow that up with pool-guard & first-aid training because you just don't know when you'll need to rescue one of your own family.

Z

Proxy

seamus wrote: »

Very sad indeed.

There are four absolutely essential things that all children should be taught how to do before their fourth birthday - Walk, run, swim & cycle. In that order.

I can't swim or cycle. In fact I've a phobia of water and I'm not too fond of the idea of getting on a bike again.

I can drive though, so flip that, tbh.

LizT

John Doe1 wrote: »

Her husband Kevin told the inquest how they left their home in Holmshill, Blueball, in Tullamore

Sorry

Hilarious - not. This woman is from my home town, she worked in my local butchers. It was a horrible tragedy, I think it's really inappropriate to bring some toilet humour up for the sake of a few laughs.

LizT

Rocky_Dennis wrote: »

I didn't hear any mention of a lifebuoy in the article. I presume there wasn't one in proximity if the husband went to the car for some rope. Simple thing such as a lifebuoy could also have prevented this tragedy from happening

There are a few life bouys along the canal but unfortunately they are mostly in the town, there's not that many out where they were.

true

seamus wrote: »

Very sad indeed.

There are four absolutely essential things that all children should be taught how to do before their fourth birthday - Walk, run, swim & cycle. In that order.

maybe swimming should be compulsory for schoolchildren , a bit like learning maths or the irish language?