Teenager who couldn't swim and hated water drowned in reservoir after friends thought his waves for help were him joking, inquest told

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Teenager who couldn't swim and hated water drowned in reservoir after friends thought his waves for help were him joking, inquest told
Published: Dec, 19 2024 13:02

A teenager who couldn't swim and hated water drowned in a reservoir after his friends thought he was 'joking' when he started waving for help, an inquest heard. Tyrese Johnson, 16, got into difficulty as he was out with friends on the last day of school at Lodge Farm Reservoir, in Netherton, Dudley, West Midlands, on July 23.

 [Rescue teams launched a major search operation but his body was recovered from Lodge Farm Reservoir by police divers at around 11.30am the following day.]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Rescue teams launched a major search operation but his body was recovered from Lodge Farm Reservoir by police divers at around 11.30am the following day.]

Rescue teams launched a major search operation but his body was recovered from the water by police divers at around 11.30am the following day. An inquest heard how a brave paddle boarder desperately tried in vain to find the teen by diving under the surface for 40 minutes.

 [Dudley Council is 'reviewing to see if there are further measures they can take' to make the reservoir site safer]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Dudley Council is 'reviewing to see if there are further measures they can take' to make the reservoir site safer]

One friend said in a statement he saw Tyrese waving but initially thought he was joking before he disappeared beneath the surface at around 6pm. The boy told how the water had been shallow but then suddenly the floor dropped off 'like a cliff edge' into deep water.

He said the group of friends had been in the water for just three minutes when Tyrese got into difficulty and they tried desperately to pull him out but couldn't. Tyrese's parents said in their statement he had been afraid of water and 'never wanted to go to swimming lessons or go into the pool when on family holidays'.

Tyrese Johnson, 16, got into difficulty while in the water as he was out with friends on the last day of school. Rescue teams launched a major search operation but his body was recovered from Lodge Farm Reservoir by police divers at around 11.30am the following day.

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