Another drowning tonight ?

R

Richard Shead

Slipped Anchor
Joined
14 Aug 2007
Messages
10,708
Location
Time Inc.
Visit site
Walking back from richmond in a falling tide bout 1840. 5 men all jumped out a boat and start swimming towards Richmond bridge in the mide of the stream whilst laughing the current is strong.

I would not be surprissed if I see the lifeboat in 5 mins.

There are no words.
 
Its the great moral dilemma.

Nanny State or Darwin. Darwin, despite Nanny State, seems to find a way.

Not nice. Just wondering, with real head on, is this something one should expect to report? I must admit if I saw folk swimming with an empty boat nearby that would sound like a 999 to me.
 
Andrew_Fanner said:
Its the great moral dilemma.

Nanny State or Darwin. Darwin, despite Nanny State, seems to find a way.

Not nice. Just wondering, with real head on, is this something one should expect to report? I must admit if I saw folk swimming with an empty boat nearby that would sound like a 999 to me.
Click to expand...

Ok just home, 5 guys jumped out the boat, about 14 ft long old battered open boat. All bare chested and in high spirits.

The tide was heading out full chat and they were about 10 ft apart with one of them holding the boat.

Four others dangerously close to the puppet barge and lucky not to go under it, plenty of folk viewing form the Canoe Club but not one shouted to them (after Sunday?????)

Anyhow just so happens I know a lock keeper so called him, I then called Richmond and they called VTS.

If there was no tide perhaps I would have made a different call but knowing that stretch like I do, they were all in danger, no doubt about it and I for one did not want to get home and watch the news only to hear one had gone under and I had done nothing about it.

I have done some very very stupid things in my time but nothing as stupid as what I saw tonight.

But if I did not know Howard then its interesting as to who you would call?
 
teddington_lock said:
Lots of people think 999 is just for Fire , Ambulance or Police ..... landlubbers don't realise you can call the Coastguard too.
Click to expand...

I know that but its a good point well made.

I must admit I've never seen it on a notice about what to do, but as I've always known 999 gets Coastguard and a lifeboat launch if need be, I may not have taken note.
 
I think I'm right in saying that all the 'In Case of Emergency' notices at the locks say to call 999 and the preamble in the Users Guide to the Thames says 'In the event of an accident or emergency, call 999' but it doesn't seem to be the first thing that springs to mind.
 
i wouldn t have called--- a long time ago -every christmas eve me and a friend of mine jumped into the thames from a bridge ---mainly kingston-but also eel pie island and teddington lock---silly maybe -but fun----regards lenten
 
lenten said:
i wouldn t have called--- a long time ago -every christmas eve me and a friend of mine jumped into the thames from a bridge ---mainly kingston-but also eel pie island and teddington lock---silly maybe -but fun----regards lenten
Click to expand...

It's a judgement call though isn't it. Richard knew that stretch of water and the dangers. The people in the water probably didn't. Appropriate people were alerted in case anything went wrong, before it went wrong. A good call under the circumstances IMO.
 
lenten said:
i wouldn t have called--- a long time ago -every christmas eve me and a friend of mine jumped into the thames from a bridge ---mainly kingston-but also eel pie island and teddington lock---silly maybe -but fun----regards lenten
Click to expand...

Yes but there were five of them, the tide was at full chat on the way out, they were clearly drunk and about to navigate several moored craft and two large barges and a bridge with several pillars waiting to take them under.

I know that stretch very well having grown up on it and they have barely put away the tent from Sundays drowning, this was an accident waiting to happen.

As I have said I have done many stupid things in my time on the river but never jumped off a bridge and have witnessed on more than one occasion a chap jumping from Tedd lock bridge and not coming back up.

I am glad I have not seen anything on the news today and I am satisfied today it was a good call. For info I did not call 999 I called Richmond lock
 
RichardShead said:
I am glad I have not seen anything on the news today and I am satisfied today it was a good call. For info I did not call 999 I called Richmond lock
Click to expand...

No problem with the call - it was a good one and a rare example of being one's 'brother's keeper' in this day and age.

The dilemma is was it an 'emergency' - in which case 999 would have been fully justified - and it was probably not, in which case there is no obvious course of action if one decides to take any at all.

I am convinced that, when there is a problem on the river, most people's instincts are to call the nearest lock - as you did.
 
Good call it would have been terrible to go home and see something had happened on the news.

We came through Twickenham yesterday at the top of the tide just before it turned and ended up in an argument with a fisherman. His child was in the middle of the river about 10 years old in a cheap inflatable barely more than a lilo with very little control, no life jacket and no shore line. Our focus was the child he shouted and screamed for us to drive straight at his child to avoid his fishing lines. He didn't have much of come back when we said our focus was his child in the dingy in the tidal Thames with no lifejacket where someone had drowned only 2 days previously. Luckily we hit neither....

We were barely ticking over and go slowly.
 
All sorts of stuff under both bridges at the lock ( weirstream and lock cut )

Broken glass , old ferry chains / wires , scaffold poles , who knows .... if ever there was a bridge i wouldn't want to jump off , it's the Teddington ones.

Rich , remember when we saw that guy go off Henley bridge in front of the Angel ? split his head wide open on the old bridge supports .... Boydy was almost sick.
 
teddington_lock said:
All sorts of stuff under both bridges at the lock ( weirstream and lock cut )

Broken glass , old ferry chains / wires , scaffold poles , who knows .... if ever there was a bridge i wouldn't want to jump off , it's the Teddington ones.

Rich , remember when we saw that guy go off Henley bridge in front of the Angel ? split his head wide open on the old bridge supports .... Boydy was almost sick.
Click to expand...

I do indeed...

Interesting to see a number of safety boats at certain turning points for the kayaks / canoes from Richmond tonight, I wonder if this is a result of Sunday?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top