Teenage girl drowned when 'ill-fitting' buoyancy aid became snagged on sinking speedboat

Emily Gardner was pulled unconscious from the water by lifeboat crews after being trapped under the boat for 25 minutes

Wednesday 01 June 2016 17:10 BST
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Emily Gardner died after boarding the boat in Brixham, south Devon, on May 2 2015
Emily Gardner died after boarding the boat in Brixham, south Devon, on May 2 2015

A teenage girl taken on a speedboat ride by her friend's father drowned when it capsized and her "ill-fitting" buoyancy aid became snagged, an inquest jury has found.

Emily Gardner, 14, from Gloucester, was pulled unconscious from the water by lifeboat crews after being trapped underneath the boat for 25 minutes.

She had been taken on the 16ft vessel by Paul Pritchard - the father of her 15-year-old best friend Holly - in Brixham, south Devon, on May 2 last year.

The boat left Brixham Harbour at about 11.30am but overturned shortly after entering open water after being hit by a wave measuring up to 6ft.

South Devon and Torbay's Coroner's Court heard all four occupants of the boat - Mr Pritchard, Holly, Emily and friend Gemma Gadsden - were thrown into the water.

Emily was wearing an extra-small wetsuit but had been allocated an extra-large buoyancy aid, which was not a life jacket, to fit a chest of 45-50in. Her chest measured 32-34in.

The inquest heard one of the straps of the buoyancy aid became caught on the cleat of the speedboat, holding Emily underneath it.

Lifeboat crews managed to free Emily 25 minutes later after winching the speedboat up, but she was pronounced dead at hospital.

Ian Arrow, senior coroner for Plymouth, South Devon and Torbay, reached a narrative conclusion.

"Quite clearly Emily was going to have a lovely weekend away with her friends and her friend's family," he said.

"We know boats do capsize but what has struck me of particular note is that this boat flipped right over.

"On flipping right over it threw two people clear and trapped two people underneath. The boat sank stern-first.

"A terrible situation arose whereby the strap on the buoyancy aid that Emily was wearing was caught on a cleat and the boat took her down under the surface of the water."

The inquest jury found: "The boat was hit from the right-hand side by a wave whilst planing.

"[Emily was wearing] an ill-fitting buoyancy aid with a missing strap.

"The webbing strap on the back of the buoyancy aid became entangled on the cleat at the rear right-hand side of the boat."

The jury found Emily died because she was trapped under the vessel.

Press Association

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