Latest news with #coldWaterShock
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
County Durham mum who lost son, 14, in river tragedy re-issues water safety plea
The mum of a County Durham teenager who lost his life in a river tragedy has reissued an urgent warning about water safety following the death of a man in the River Tees. The death of 20-year-old Jacob Rutkowski from Darlington on Friday (June 20) has reminded mum-of-four Fiona Gosling from Crook of her own heartbreak. Fiona's son Cameron was just 14-years-old when he jumped into the River Wear near Bishop Auckland on July 5, 2015, unaware of any risks he would face in the water. Cameron Gosling, 14. Cameron's heart stopped beating when he entered the river, because he had not acclimatised to the temperature and he died of what is known as cold water shock. Since his passing, Fiona has used Cameron's story to educate thousands of children about water safety - but has admitted that this latest incident in Gainford, near Darlington, has reminded her of her own grief. Fiona told The Northern Echo: "I saw the story online yesterday when it all started to evolve, and watched it happen. I tend to do that if something big is going on. "Then, it was about 10.55pm when I saw the post go up from police saying they had found a body." Mother Fiona and son Cyle Gosling who campaign for Cold Water safety. She added: "As soon as you hear about anything like this, it takes you right back to where you were when it happened to you. "It makes me sit down and go through all of Cameron's things and I'll go on my social media page to see if there is anything I can share. "But it is hard - it's really hard." News first broke of an incident in Gainford yesterday when the air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews all rushed to the rural village at about 2.30pm. LIVE: Tributes paid to Jacob Rutkowski after River Tees tragedy - updates Police cordoned off an area where ambulance incident response teams and the fire service water unit parked up, blocking access to the river banks after reports of concerns for a man in the river. Fiona Gosling delivering a school assembly. Tragically, Durham Police later confirmed that they had found a body in the river. Tributes have since been paid to Jacob Rutkowski; described as a "beautiful soul" as his family try to raise funds to pay for his send off. But this latest tragedy has made Fiona, 48, worry that her pleas to stay safe in the water are going unheard. She added: "I do tend to just sit back and think, have we missed something? You do tend to feel a little bit guilty and think: 'is your message not getting out to the right people?'"? "This is something that can be avoided. As soon as the heatwaves start, I can just sense what is going to happen. "I always think that it's going to be a very long few months and we'll see so many tragedies not only with youngsters but people in general who aren't aware of what is going on around them in the water." Cameron Gosling, 14. Fiona then re-issued a plea to anyone thinking of taking a dip to cool down this summer - regardless of their age or experience in the water. She said: "Know your points of entry and points of exit - and never go swimming on your own. If you are swimming and you feel something isn't right, you know your own body. Read more: Rivers deaths fall after campaign in memory of teenager Cameron Gosling Mum honoured for water safety campaign after death of son Cameron Gosling Mum warns schoolchildren of cold water shock on anniversary of her son Cameron Gosling's tragic river death Young footballers' tribute to Cameron Gosling Friends of river tragedy teenager Cameron Gosling make hard hitting water safety campaign video "I would love to say to people 'don't go in the water', but we live in a country that is surrounded by water. I do want to stay away, but I know that's never going to happen. "The water is going to be cold - just because we have hot weather does not mean the water is going to be warm. "Watch out for everyone around you. Be aware that water does not discriminate. "It will take old, young, swimmer, non-swimmer - it does not care. You have to be really careful."
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Accidental drownings in West Midlands prompt open water warning
Midlands Air Ambulance is urging people to respect the water, after there were 18 accidental drowning deaths in the region last from the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) showed that May 2024 saw the most accidental water-related fatalities, with 193 people dying in the UK in total. Inland waterways accounted for 61 per cent of the the charity, which covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, the West Midlands and Gloucestershire, wants to ensure the public are being vigilant in or around water."Often we find that people enter the water and don't understand the dangers of it, they don't respect the water", said Liam Webb, a critical care paramedic. "They get into difficulty because of cold water shock, or they're not swimming in designated areas."NWSF also said that warmer weather often correlated with more water-related fatalities. "When the weather gets hot we definitely see an increase in people going into the water as they want to cool off," added Mr charity said people needed to learn to float if they got into difficulty in water."Lay back, float and that involves submerging your ears and trying to breathe normally," he said."If you find someone in the water, we ask you to call for the emergency services... tell the person in the water to float and throw anything you can to them which could help."Whether that's an emergency life raft buoy, branch or an inflatable, throw that to them in the water." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
