In case you are wondering what makes Coast Guard volunteers give up their time to go on the water and ask people to wear safety equipment here is a sad extract from today’s ‘Irish Independent’
A loving hug ended in tragedy for a young couple, an inquest heard yesterday.The man drowned after his girlfriend stood up to give him a hug, causing their canoe to capsize.
Excavator driver John Buckley (26) was out canoeing with his girlfriend, Lucinda Murphy (24) on Lough Derg on a Sunday afternoon.They only had one lifejacket between them and it was decided before going out on the water that she would wear it.
At the Co Clare’s coroner’s court in Ennis yesterday, coroner, Isobel O’Dea recorded a verdict of death by misadventure in the Lough Derg drowning of Mr Buckley of Ballyculhane, Glin, Co Limerick on January 22 last.
“I stood up to give John a hug and the boat toppled over. John and I both fell into the water. The water was very cold. John was not wearing a life-jacket,” said Ms Murphy in her deposition to the inquest.
Ms Murphy said the two swam toward the canoe and tried to turn it over, but failed.She then inflated her lifejacket and took off her shoes.
She said that John saw a boy on the shore and called out to him and the boy went off to get help.”I started swimming towards the shore and John told me to keep swimming. I swallowed some water and started coughing.
“I called John and asked ‘are you okay’ and he did not reply. I turned around and I saw John’s hands out of the water. I knew that he was in trouble and I swam back to him and he kept pushing my hands away.
“I was trying to hold his head and he kept going under. I shouted to a man on the shore and he ran off. John then sank under the water and I waited for a few minutes and I tried to swim to the shore for help.”
Ms Murphy, from Birdhill, Co Tipperary said that she was rescued by a man called John with the help of a surf-board.
The diving team from the Killaloe/Ballina Search and Rescue Unit recovered John Buckley’s body from the riverbed later that evening.
Pathologist Dr Peter Fawl said the results of the post-mortem showed that Mr Buckley died from asphyxiation as a result of drowning.
Coroner Isobel O’Dea said that the appropriate verdict would be death by misadventure and this can occur where there is an unintended action that brings out an unintended outcome. Ms O’Dea said that she noted that Mr Buckley wasn’t wearing a life-jacket on the day and that it was a terrible tragedy for his family and his girlfriend.
Last night, Chief Executive of the Irish Water Safety Association (IWSA), John Leech said: “Water users must always wear a life-jacket, no matter what the aquatic pursuit.”It significantly increases the chances for survival because of the excellent rescue services we have. Nine times out of ten, wearing a life-jacket will prevent a drowning taking place.”
