Coroner says pair might have survived had father worn lifejacket

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A father kayaking with his young daughter on Lake Tarawera refused to wear an adult-sized lifejacket which may have kept both afloat after they had capsized, a inquest has heard.

A Rotorua Coroner’s Court inquest yesterday into the deaths of Zoujie Cai, 40, and his daughter, Zexuan Cai, 6, both of Auckland, found they drowned after they fell from their kayak into the lake near Lagoon Reserve on December 1 last year.

Only Zexuan Cai was wearing a lifejacket — an extra large adult size — which had not been adjusted to fit her, and it slipped off when she fell into the water, the inquest heard. There were four adult lifejackets at the rented house where they were staying but no children’s lifejackets.

In his findings coroner Gordon Matenga said if Mr Cai had worn the lifejacket it would have helped support him and his daughter in the water until help arrived.

“The lifejacket was an extra large adult’s size,” he said.

“Even if it was done up it would still have been too large for the young girl.

“If it had been worn by Mr Cai and done up properly it would have allowed him to float and support his daughter so he could kick, or paddle them both to the overturned kayak until help arrived.” Mr Matenga said the Coroner’s Court was constantly reminding the public to make use of safety equipment such as lifejackets.

“This court constantly faces situations where a moment’s caution could avert disaster. “This is one of those cases.” The inquest heard Mr Cai, his wife and daughter were staying with friends for a weekend break at a rented house on Bay View Rd.

Witness Liuyan Li said she was with her husband, Min Long, staying at the bach.

Mr Cai and his daughter, who was known as Sharon, went kayaking for around 30 minutes before breakfast on the Sunday morning, she said.

They returned to the bach before going back out on the lake for a second kayak.

About 10 to 15 minutes later Mrs Li heard screaming from the lake and Mr Cai sounding “very scared”.

“I could hear Mr Cai calling out his wife’s name.

“I could tell he was scared. I could tell it from his voice.”

Mrs Li said she saw the kayak overturned and Mr Cai and his daughter struggling in the water.

Mrs Li said they were 30m to 40m from shore.

She ran to the lake with her husband who stripped off to swim to the distressed pair.

She had never kayaked before but grabbed a paddle and began to kayak out to them.

“I could see Mr Cai trying to hold his daughter up but both of them kept going under,” she said.

“I tried to get them but my boat kept turning around, it was windy and I could not control the boat.”

She got within 5m of the pair, she said. “And then I never saw them again.”

Min Long told the inquest he could see the overturned kayak but not Mr Cai or his daughter.

“I saw Sharon’s life jacket floating nearby.”

Mr Long suffered from cramp as he swam and had to rest on the overturned kayak.