NEED TO KNOW
- According to the findings of an investigation into her death, Lucy Reed, 15, died after inhaling her vomit while swimming in the waters off Cleethorpes Beach in England on a full stomach in 2023
- The coroner ruled that she became ill and vomited as she was trying to get out of the deeper part of the waters
- In the formal inquest, her death was ruled a “misadventure”
A 15-year-old girl died from suffocation after swimming on a full stomach and inhaling her vomit, a coroner determined after conducting an investigation into her tragic death.
Lucy Reed was out with her mother in Cleethorpes, England on June 24, 2023 when she decided to go for a swim with a friend off the Cleethorpes Beach after a lunch of pizza and fries, according to Manchester Evening News, Birmingham Live and Grimsby Live.
Despite her mother urging her to let her food settle before swimming, Reed insisted on getting in the water at around 1 p.m. before they were due to head home for the day at 2:30 p.m. However, after Reed didn’t meet her mother at the arranged time, she called for help, per Birmingham Live.
Emergency services were alerted around 2 p.m., and Reed’s mother contacted the Humberside Police at 2:22 and the Cleethorpes Coast Guard shortly thereafter. A search commenced.
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The hunt for Reed lasted for over three hours, involving the Beach Safety staff, police, air sea rescue helicopter and the Coast Guard Lifeboat, according to Birmingham Live and Grimsby Live.
After attempts to find her were unsuccessful, a member of the public told emergency services that they recalled seeing someone nearly 2,000 feet out in the waters around 2 p.m. This widened the search area and led to her discovery.
“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,” Greater Lincolnshire senior coroner, Paul Smith determined of her death per Birmingham Live.
Reed’s death was ruled as being from asphyxiation after Dr Justin Cooke’s post-mortem examination found that she inhaled gastric contents after vomiting while she struggled as a falling tide overpowered her.
“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,” Smith said in his investigation into her death, per Manchester Evening News.
“The tide was falling and [she and her friend, who did survive] rapidly found themselves out of their depth and drifting away from the shore. Neither were strong swimmers,” he added.
Smith went on to say that after 30 minutes in the water, Reed “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,” he ruled, adding that salt water could have played a secondary role.
“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,” he said, per the outlet. “She was in distress and as a result she aspirated. Her death was due to misadventure.”
The formal inquest was filed in Greater Lincolnshire.
“Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by the tragic events of 24 June 2023,” Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson told PEOPLE in regards to the tragedy.
PEOPLE contacted Humberside Police and the Senior Coroner for Greater Lincolnshire for comment.
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