Canals are 3 to 4 ft deep...how do people drown in canals?

[Tealx]

Read in the paper the other day some lad fell into a canal and drowned. The canal was 3 and a half ft deep, water would've come up to his waist if he stood up.

Am I the only one confused by this? How exactly does that even happen, even if you can't swim?

[sherman]

Water is 3ft deep.
Duck poo and mud at the bottom is 4ft deep.
Not taking into account thectangle of whatever else is down there.c

[Baldchap]

You could drown in a puddle if unconscious or similar.

[Tealx]

sherman said:

Water is 3ft deep.
Duck poo and mud at the bottom is 4ft deep.
Not taking into account thectangle of whatever else is down there.c

I was under the impression the total depth is 3-4 ft deep, including the mud/silt, and the mud/silt layer effectively makes the canal shallower because it's sitting on top of the hard surface/flooring.

[Scarletpimpofnel]

Tealx said:

I was under the impression the total depth is 3-4 ft deep, including the mud/silt, and the mud/silt layer effectively makes the canal shallower because it's sitting on top of the hard surface/flooring.

Depends on the canal. Typical leisure boat canal are often poorly maintained and silted up at the edges and just navigable (3-4ft) in the middle. Meanwhile a ship canal may be much much deeper.

A nasty wife beating bloke near me drowned in a minor barely used canal and drowned. He was drunk and fell in.

[andrewpandrew]

Panic, injury, exhaustion, loss of consciousness. Really not that hard to understand.

[Debaser]

Tealx said:

Read in the paper the other day some lad fell into a canal and drowned. The canal was 3 and a half ft deep, water would've come up to his waist if he stood up.

Am I the only one confused by this? How exactly does that even happen, even if you can't swim?

What if you can't stand up? It's pretty easy to drown in over 3ft of water.

[TGCOTF-dewey]

Cold shock induced inhalation, i.e you fall into cold water and the body's response is a huge gulp of air. If underwater it can fatal even in shallow water.

[Spare tyre]

I’d imagine people are either unconscious or panicked

[Wacky Racer]

I've fell in a canal twice Don't ask.

They are full of silt and st, sometimes old bike frames prams etc,

Although I must admit you would be very unlucky to actually drown in one.

[Tam_Mullen]

Your first post on here was this insensitive bks? Christ.

[SimonTheSailor]

How tall was the 'lad' ?

[bigpriest]

I think the Bridgewater Canal is 5ft-6ft deep. Last time I was in it through foolish alcohol pranks I couldn't touch the bottom. Manchester Ship Canal is 28ft deep, don't fall in that one

[98elise]

Debaser said:

Tealx said:

Read in the paper the other day some lad fell into a canal and drowned. The canal was 3 and a half ft deep, water would've come up to his waist if he stood up.

Am I the only one confused by this? How exactly does that even happen, even if you can't swim?

What if you can't stand up? It's pretty easy to drown in over 3ft of water.

This, and if you go under in shallow water you can't get your feet under your center of gravity to stand up. You just end up kicking the bottom, or pushing yourself forwards, like stumbling under water.

Also factor in that you might have taken a mouth/lung full of water on the way in. That would add to the panic.

I've only felt close to drowning once, and that was the senario. If the water was deeper it would have been fine.

[K87]

A friend was walking a horse along the Leeds Liverpool canal, a charity walk for the charity Riding for the Disabled. The horse walked too close to the edge and fell in, the water covered its legs and most of the body, the head was still far above the water level. it tried to get out for no more than two minutes, he couldn't and just lay down in the water, preparing to die, The friend had to jump in and hold its head above water, he was chest deep, he had to walk the horse in the canal to find a place where it could get out.

Edited by K87 on Thursday 14th May 17:26

[CloudStuff]

Tealx said:

Read in the paper the other day some lad fell into a canal and drowned. The canal was 3 and a half ft deep, water would've come up to his waist if he stood up.

Am I the only one confused by this? How exactly does that even happen, even if you can't swim?

Newbie? We need your net worth, and details of your "fleet" before we proceed with any discussions.

[LRDefender]

K87 said:

A friend was walking a horse along the Leeds Liverpool canal, a charity walk for the charity Riding for the Disabled. The horse walked too close to the edge and fell in, the water covered its legs and most of the body, the head was still far above the water level. it tried to get out for no more than two minutes, he couldn't and just lay down in the water, preparing to die, The fiend had to jump in and hold the head above water, he was chest deep, he had to walk the horse in the canal to find a place where it could get out.

Jeez, the poor guy was only trying to help!

[vikingaero]

One of my friends lived on a canalboat and died when he fell in - he'd been drinking, slipped, hit his head on the boat and drowned.

[s p a c e m a n]

This one freaked me out more than drowning in a canal, although neither sound fun.

Mother drowned after getting trapped in rocks

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c142n7gkr01o

[bigmowley]

Being brought up immediately adjacent to a canal I can confirm that they are nasty, slimy, dirty things to fall into (several times ) and very easy to drown in. But yes they are only a few feet deep but the bottom is very much not flat, very muddy, very slippy and generally precarious. It’s not like a swimming pool to stand up in.