A 15-year-old girl tragically died from suffocation after swimming shortly after eating, which led her to vomit and inhale gastric contents, a coroner’s investigation has concluded.
Lucy Reed had been enjoying a day out with her mother in Cleethorpes, England, on June 24, 2023, when she decided to take a swim with a friend off Cleethorpes Beach, shortly after eating a lunch of pizza and fries, according to reports from Manchester Evening News, Birmingham Live, and Grimsby Live.
Despite her mother’s advice to wait before entering the water, Lucy entered the sea around 1 p.m. local time. They had planned to leave around 2:30 p.m., but when Lucy didn’t return at the agreed time, her mother grew concerned and called for help, Birmingham Live reported.
Emergency services were alerted around 2 p.m., with Reed’s mother contacting both Humberside Police at 2:22 p.m. and the Cleethorpes Coast Guard shortly after. A search was immediately launched.
The search effort, which lasted more than three hours, involved Beach Safety staff, police, a rescue helicopter, and a Coast Guard lifeboat, according to Birmingham Live and Grimsby Live.
A break came when a member of the public reported having seen someone about 2,000 feet out in the water around 2 p.m. This information helped expand the search radius and ultimately led to her discovery.
“Almost immediately she was found and was winched into the helicopter. CPR was given on the flight. But sadly, her death was confirmed at the hospital,” Greater Lincolnshire senior coroner Paul Smith said, according to Birmingham Live.
A post-mortem by Dr. Justin Cooke determined Lucy died of asphyxiation, caused by inhaling stomach contents after vomiting during her struggle in the water.
“Lucy Alexandra Reed died on 24 June 2023 in the River Humber at Cleethorpes as a consequence of asphyxiation. She had travelled to the coast for a day trip. She ate a substantial lunch and shortly thereafter went into the shallow water,” Smith noted in his findings, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.
He further explained that Lucy and her friend—who survived—were not strong swimmers and quickly found themselves in deeper water as the tide receded. “The tide was falling and [they] rapidly found themselves out of their depth and drifting away from the shore,” he said.
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About 30 minutes into the swim, Lucy attempted to reach a point where she could stand. During the effort, she vomited and inhaled the contents, which led to her losing consciousness. “Although her death was not formally confirmed for several hours, on balance of probability it occurred within minutes of the incident described above,” the coroner stated. He added that swimming on a full stomach was the “unintended consequence” that led to her death and noted that salt water may have been a contributing factor.
“Her death resulted due to getting out of her depth and being taken deeper by the tide and she was unable to get back to dry land,” he continued, according to the Manchester Evening News. “She was in distress and as a result she aspirated. Her death was due to misadventure.”
The inquest was formally recorded in Greater Lincolnshire.
A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency shared their condolences with PEOPLE, stating: “Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by the tragic events of 24 June 2023.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Humberside Police and the Senior Coroner for Greater Lincolnshire for comment.
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A 15-year-old girl tragically died from suffocation after swimming shortly after eating, which led her to vomit and inhale gastric contents, a coroner’s investigation has concluded.
Lucy Reed had been enjoying a day out with her mother in Cleethorpes, England, on June 24, 2023, when she decided to take a swim with a friend off Cleethorpes Beach, shortly after eating a lunch of pizza and fries, according to reports from Manchester Evening News, Birmingham Live, and Grimsby Live.
Despite her mother’s advice to wait before entering the water, Lucy entered the sea around 1 p.m. local time. They had planned to leave around 2:30 p.m., but when Lucy didn’t return at the agreed time, her mother grew concerned and called for help, Birmingham Live reported.
Emergency services were alerted around 2 p.m., with Reed’s mother contacting both Humberside Police at 2:22 p.m. and the Cleethorpes Coast Guard shortly after. A search was immediately launched.
The search effort, which lasted more than three hours, involved Beach Safety staff, police, a rescue helicopter, and a Coast Guard lifeboat, according to Birmingham Live and Grimsby Live.
A break came when a member of the public reported having seen someone about 2,000 feet out in the water around 2 p.m. This information helped expand the search radius and ultimately led to her discovery.
“Almost immediately she was found and was winched into the helicopter. CPR was given on the flight. But sadly, her death was confirmed at the hospital,” Greater Lincolnshire senior coroner Paul Smith said, according to Birmingham Live.
A post-mortem by Dr. Justin Cooke determined Lucy died of asphyxiation, caused by inhaling stomach contents after vomiting during her struggle in the water.
“Lucy Alexandra Reed died on 24 June 2023 in the River Humber at Cleethorpes as a consequence of asphyxiation. She had travelled to the coast for a day trip. She ate a substantial lunch and shortly thereafter went into the shallow water,” Smith noted in his findings, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.
He further explained that Lucy and her friend—who survived—were not strong swimmers and quickly found themselves in deeper water as the tide receded. “The tide was falling and [they] rapidly found themselves out of their depth and drifting away from the shore,” he said.
About 30 minutes into the swim, Lucy attempted to reach a point where she could stand. During the effort, she vomited and inhaled the contents, which led to her losing consciousness. “Although her death was not formally confirmed for several hours, on balance of probability it occurred within minutes of the incident described above,” the coroner stated. He added that swimming on a full stomach was the “unintended consequence” that led to her death and noted that salt water may have been a contributing factor.
“Her death resulted due to getting out of her depth and being taken deeper by the tide and she was unable to get back to dry land,” he continued, according to the Manchester Evening News. “She was in distress and as a result she aspirated. Her death was due to misadventure.”
The inquest was formally recorded in Greater Lincolnshire.
A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency shared their condolences with PEOPLE, stating: “Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by the tragic events of 24 June 2023.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Humberside Police and the Senior Coroner for Greater Lincolnshire for comment.
