‘Pals tried desperately to save boy from drowning’
FRIENDS of a teenage boy who drowned in a reservoir have told an inquest how they battled desperately to save his life.
Paul Lawson, 16, died while swimming in Greenbooth Reservoir in Norden on the hottest day of the year.
Several of the young student’s pals, who the Observer is not naming at the request of the coroner, tried to drag him to safety after he got into difficulties at the Norden beauty spot in June.
Tragically, the teen went under the water and his body was later recovered by police divers. It was the first time Paul, an aspiring footballer, had swum at the reservoir, it was heard.
A coroner has now issued a warning against the dangers of swimming in open water, adding: “Just don’t do it. Don’t go in reservoirs, ponds, mill lodges, canals.”
One friend said Paul was one of three boys who began struggling as a group of them attempted to swim 50 metres from a rocky outcrop, where the lads had been jumping into the water, to the opposite bank.
In a statement read out in court, the friend said: “I was feeling a bit tired. I swam slowly so I would make it across.
“I saw Paul was in the water so I got back in to help him. I saw two other boys were also struggling. I noticed Paul was in trouble. He wasn’t quite halfway across.
“He didn’t seem to be moving. He looked a bit blue. His head kept going under the water.
“Three or four people were around him but I could see they were all tired. People were stood around, I asked for help but I think they thought it was a prank.
“I grabbed hold of Paul and got him about three or four metres from the edge. I tried so hard to keep hold of him. I was screaming for help, but I had to get out because I was just so tired.”
A teenage girl, who didn’t know Paul, also told the inquest how she jumped into the water to help him.
She said: “As I got to him he grabbed my arm. He was pulling me under. I grabbed him and held him to my body. I shouted at him to lay on his back, but he didn’t seem to hear me.
“I managed to bring him closer to the edge but I had to let go because I had swallowed some water and I started to panic. I couldn’t feel my legs because I had used all my energy.” Another pal told in a statement how he saw Paul’s head ‘go under the water and come back up several times’.
Paul’s mum Natalie Lawson, of Wardle, said she owed the friends a ‘massive thank you’ for trying to save her son’s life.
Hopwood Hall College student Paul, who the inquest heard dreamed of becoming a professional football player or coach, had gone to Greenbooth with a group of friends on the afternoon of June 19 and had arranged to meet more mates there.
Det Chief Insp John Harris told the inquest Paul’s body was later recovered by police divers ‘only a few metres’ from the water’s edge.
A toxicology report found no alcohol or drugs in his system and the cause of death was given as drowning.
Recording a conclusion of accidental death at Rochdale Coroners’ Court in Heywood, coroner Michael Salt warned against swimming in open water.
He said: “The message has to be don’t do it. Don’t go in reservoirs, ponds, mill lodges, canals. They are dangerous. There were many people there that day.
“Many people, some as young as 13 or 14, had entered the water throughout the afternoon and evening. But the fact there were so many people there did not make it any safer.”