A 15-year-old girl tragically lost her life while attempting to retrieve a ball from the water during a family outing at Formby beach in Merseyside. Chiedza Nyanjowa, who was visiting her aunt in Bolton during the school break, was playing volleyball with her cousins when the incident occurred on Bank Holiday Monday.
Despite being cautioned against swimming due to her lack of swimming skills, Chiedza ventured into the sea with her 11-year-old cousin to fetch the ball. Unfortunately, both girls were swept away by the waves. As they struggled, the water level rose, reaching Chiedza’s chin and her cousin’s neck.
Efforts to rescue Chiedza were delayed, with her cousin taking 15 minutes to seek help. Once retrieved from the water, bystanders and off-duty medical professionals administered CPR before she was airlifted to Alder Hey Hospital. Despite the valiant attempts to save her, Chiedza passed away on May 30 from a brain injury sustained during the drowning incident.
The coroner ruled the tragic death as a misadventure, emphasizing that it resulted from an unintentional act of entering the water to retrieve the ball. While expressing deep sympathy to the family, the coroner highlighted concerns over illegal parking near the beach but clarified that it did not contribute to the incident. The coroner praised the bystanders for their swift actions in trying to save Chiedza’s life and condemned the illegal parking practices that could obstruct emergency services in the future.
