Agony of father for ‘beautiful daughter’
Girl, 15, dies and 11 injured after speedboat smashes into buoy
A GRIEF-STRICKEN father last night told of his ‘deep sense of loss’ after his 15-year-old daughter died when a speedboat the family was riding in crashed into a navigation buoy.
The Rigid Inflatable Boat, carrying 12 people, was left a mangled wreck after the collision in choppy seas.
Emily Lewis was conscious when she was taken ashore by a lifeboat after the incident about half a mile off Netley, Hampshire, on Saturday, but later died in hospital from her injuries.
Her mother Nikki and sister Amy, 19, both suffered broken arms.
Emily’s father Simon wrote online: ‘Nikki and I need to share some very tragic news today. Our beautiful daughter Emily passed away yesterday.
‘We were all involved in a boating accident in the Solent and Em suffered serious trauma and died not long after we got to hospital. Nikki and Amy suffered broken arms and are doing as well as expected. I have pain but no breaks but the emotional pain far outweighs the physical.
‘We are all in shock that our beautiful daughter and sister is no longer with us and words just don’t seem to be available to express our deep sense of loss.’
After the collision a passing pleasure boat rushed to the scene, followed by lifeboats, and all 12 passengers were taken to Southampton General Hospital.
The family had boarded the boat – understood to be run by charter firm Seadogz – at Ocean Village Marina in Southampton. The crumpled bow of the boat could clearly be seen yesterday when it was removed from the harbour.
Seadogz, which describes itself as ‘The original extreme RIB charter experience’, has been running boating trips out of the marina for around eight years. The firm has removed its website and its other boat was moored in the harbour.
A sailor who owns another berth at the marina saw the aftermath. He said: ‘The air ambulance was circling and more and more ambulances seemed to be arriving. Then between five and seven casualties came into the marina on a lifeboat with its blue light going.
‘A woman came in with a broken arm and a mother and daughter wrapped in silver hypothermia blankets who were clearly in shock. Another man had a bandaged hand which was bleeding and there was a female who was laid out on a stretcher.’
Another boat owner saw the damaged RIB being brought into the harbour. He said: ‘I could immediately see something wasn’t right.
‘The port side tube on the RIB had deflated so it had evidently hit the navigation buoy on the boat’s front left side.
‘They are very capable, allweather boats and it was choppy out there but nothing that a boat like that cannot handle.
‘It’s a terribly tragic accident. Navigation buoys don’t move so it’s all a bit of a mystery.’
A full investigation is under way into the cause of the crash, which happened at 10.10am as winds picked up across the south coast. Police are appealing for witnesses.
An RNLI spokesman said: ‘It was a tragic accident which happened around one of the navigation buoys off Netley at the top of Southampton Water.
‘It was very windy out there but the pleasure boat that went out there was very capable.
‘Two people were flung into the water. The girl was not one of
‘She was a lovely girl’
those but there are ramifications of crashing into anything at speed and she suffered impact injuries.’
The director of Seadogz, Michael Howelly, 49, last night said he had been advised not to comment. He said: ‘I can’t talk about this. I have been told not to say anything.’
A neighbour of Emily’s family, who live in a five-bedroom, £500,000 detached home in Park Gate, near Southampton, described her as ‘a lovely girl’. The woman said: ‘They are a delightful family. It’s just so very, very sad. My heart goes out to them.’