14 Year old killed by a swimming pool pump :(

[Pints]

Neil_H said:

Read this in the Metro this morning.
Apparently the management wouldn't listen to them at first and it took 30 minutes before they would even check the pipe, at which point his body came out of it.

It also mentioned that the father got charged and fined £450 after he attacked someone who was trying to film his son's dead body with a mobile phone.

Horrific experience I imagine.

Another reason why I refuse to visit God-forsaken st-holes like Thailand.

Edited by Pints on Monday 13th July 13:03

[andymadmak]

When I was a lad, growing up in Torquay, there used to be a big pool down by the harbour. I think it was a seawater pool, It was known that the outlet from the pool, which was covered by a large grating led out to a discharge pipe a few hundred feet out to sea in Torbay.
As lads, we would sim down to the grate and let the suction hold us against it. It was a compeition to see who could hold their breath longest. On more than one occasiun I remember people being sucked through the grating. Some survived, appearing out to sea a few minutes later, a bit scrathched and shocked but largely OK. One or two did not, and eventually the pool was demolished - the site is now a "Living Coasts" attraction.
Darwin? no, just lads being lads, with tragic consequnces.

Andy

Edited by andymadmak on Monday 13th July 12:54

[tinman0]

andymadmak said:

As lads, we would sim down to the grate and let the suction hold us against it. It was a compeition to see who could hold their breath longest. On more than one occasiun I remember people being sucked through the grating. Some survived, appearing out to sea a few minutes later, a bit scrathched and shocked but largely OK. One or two did not, and eventually the pool was demolished - the site is now a "Living Coasts" attraction.
Darwin? no, just lads being lads, with tragic consequnces.

Seriously, that is Darwin at work on two levels.

1. You put yourself knowingly in mortal danger - stupid.

2. You aren't strong enough to get out of known mortal danger - weak.

[Tony*T3]

'Darwin' is a little harsh. But even so, WTF was he (not) thinking. This wasn't some 5 year old after all.

Agreed the grating SHOULD have been secured, and I guess that was why the life guards didnt take them seriously as surely even they must have thought that it would be secure? Not sure what they could have done for him anyway. They'd have had to get the pumps turned off at a minimum, and even then could they have affected a rescue? Unlikly.

Tragic, and almost inconcievable/unbelievable.

[M3CHA-MONK3Y]

tinman0 said:

Seriously, that is Darwin at work on two levels.

1. You put yourself knowingly in mortal danger - stupid.

While stupid, I don't think he would have know he was going to get himself killed. Most people, as am I, are surprised that the pump pipe was big enough to fit a 14yo boy and that the pump had the suction to pull him in. No doubt, he was equally surprised.

tinman0 said:

2. You aren't strong enough to get out of known mortal danger - weak.

The poor lad could of had a muscular degenerative condition or asthma. While your interpretation of Darwin's law is accurate, I think its a little harsh to apply it in this case. More of a freak accident.
I'm sure his parents or any parent that had been in that situation, would not see this as a case of survival of the fittest.

I'm not having a dig, it's was a stupid and childish thing to do, but then, he was only 14.

[Parrot of Doom]

Some people here must have had childhoods that were as boring as fk. I can't even begin to describe the stupid and dangerous things I did as a kid, but I wouldn't for one moment change any of it.

[Dr Imran T]

johnnywgk said:

The cover should've been locked.

A message for anyone going to a country like thailand is

BEWARE, THEY HAVE NO HEALTH AND SAFTY.

That's right, it's perhaps the exact opposite end of the spectrum to the UK where 'they' tell us to drink water when it is hot, wear a jumper when it is snowing etc etc..

I just don't know whether people are becoming so silly that they cannot think for themselves anymore.

Back on topic - I have to say, after seeing the news report, this boy was playing with fire lifting up that drain cover.

[tinman0]

Parrot of Doom said:

Some people here must have had childhoods that were as boring as fk. I can't even begin to describe the stupid and dangerous things I did as a kid, but I wouldn't for one moment change any of it.

Not really, managed to hospitalize myself on a few occasions, including a decent several day for one stupidity, and nearly managed to get on the child protection register with the various injuries I was inflicting on myself (my parents "honestly, we're not beating him"). But I don't recall nearly dying from any of it.

In my opinion, you have to work hard to die.

[Neil_H]

miniman said:

Neil_H said:

M3CHA-MONK3Y said:

I know where most people are coming from but is it really a Darwin moment?

I mean, the kid was swimming to the bottom of the pool to retrieve his goggles. It's not like he was swimming into the pipe as a dare. Shirley there should have been some kind of safety vent on the intake, a cover that is screwed in or something?

There was, and he took it off. Silly thing to do, but the kind of thing 14 year olds are prone to do.

One could argue that there should be no way a teenager swimming underwater should be able to remove that kind of vent - surely there should have been a lock of some sort?

I agree there should be, but this is Thailand, I hear life is pretty cheap over there.

[HRG.]

Dave_ST220 said:

Incredible Sulk said:

johnnywgk said:

The cover should've been locked.

A message for anyone going to a country like thailand is

BEWARE, THEY HAVE NO HEALTH AND SAFTY.

Eh? You think this is a Health and Safety issue? I've been paranoid about gratings in swimimg pools since someone in a pool I used to go to thought it would be a good idea to stick his fingers into the grate at the bottom of the deep end, got finger stuck and was fortunate no to drown. It was a stupid thing to do, but he got away with it. This as others have said on the thread is about common sense. Health and Safety won't protect you if you don't have any.

Don't get me wrong-health & safety has gone mad. However, it could be argued that the fact that the grate was easily removable lulled him into a false sense of security?? RIP, thoughts are with the family.

It could also be argued that the nanny state has stopped people watching out for danger...

Terribly sad whatever the reasons.

[Marf]

What a horrible way to go

[Bing o]

HRG. said:

It could also be argued that the nanny state has stopped people watching out for danger...

Whatever next - people suing because they slipped over in the showers...?

[Deva Link]

Parrot of Doom said:

Some people here must have had childhoods that were as boring as fk. I can't even begin to describe the stupid and dangerous things I did as a kid, but I wouldn't for one moment change any of it.

Same here - although I probably wouldn't do the things involving fire again.

We certainly used to stand on the grill in the deep end of the baths which would provide enough suction to hold us on the bottom of the pool.

[paddyhasneeds]

That's just grim.

You know every so often you have those "Worse ways to die?" thoughts and that ones up there as a new entry.

[schueymcfee]

When I were a kid we used to have to swim in an old Victorian pool at school. It had a mahoosive big black drain, with a big black grate over the top in the deep end.

It used to scare me stless and I always swam around it and never over it.

Stuff like that is my worst nightmare.

[Scraggles]

at least it would have been relatively quick death, stuck under water as he was, defintely a darwin awards candidate

a four foot grill is going to be heavy and there for a reason, like keeping people where they do not belong

[stifler]

Horrible way to die.

But a couple of things spring to mind.

The pool must be a really old pool. The outlet at the bottom system died out in the seventies. Any pool built (I would have thought worldwide) within the last thirty years will have the outlets at the surface of the water. This allows the scum and fats to float away rather than mixing it in and hoping that it disappears through the big hole in the bottom of the pool. Secondly, I'm afraid Roop is wrong on the diameters of the pipes. The pipes going to the filters from the pool are generally 18" diameter for an avaerage sized pool. More than enough for a 14 year old to be sucked into.

When I was lifeguarding (at my local pool built circa 1960) a girl got her hair sucked into the grills in the bottom of the pool. I got in and breathed for her, ie coming up to the surface for air, then diving down and giving her that air. Another lifeguard ran to get the scissors off reception to cut her hair with. The receptionist refused to let the scissors onto poolside because "they were sharp" she eventually relented with a barrage of foul language directed at her (she was later sacked for stupidity.
I got the scissors off the other lifeguard and cut the girl free. All was well until the mother turned up. And I got a bking for cutting her little girls hair.

I don't quite know where I was going with that, but it just came into my head.

[Shaolin]

stifler said:

The pool must be a really old pool. The outlet at the bottom system died out in the seventies.

In those parts of the world that have regulations. There is lots of old technology / chemicals / medicines etc. that are banned in the Western World that is still regularly being sold to the developing world. Many things are legal in popular holiday destinations that have been outlawed in Europe and N.America for decades. That's why these things happen.

[Deva Link]

Saw it on ITV News at lunchtime and tt looked a pretty new facility and the grid was perhaps a yard or more square but appeared to have a very large pipe in the centre. The "engine room" where his body ended up was a pretty big concrete pit.

The video is on this link but I think it's been shortened from what was on TV: http://www.itv.com/news/articles/teenager-sucked-i... (it says it won't load, but it does).

[Ayahuasca]

FFS this is not Darwinism, this is a tragic end to a brave and resourceful boy's life.