The tragic incident happened on 25 August at around 6.25pm when the 8 year old, recently named as Kaimen Ward, got into difficulties whilst swimming at Hambleton Leisure Centre in North Allerton. The young boy was dragged from the pool by life guards who desperately tried to resuscitate him however they were too late to save him and although he was rushed to nearby Friarage Hospital, he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Cabinet member for health, Mr. Peter Wilkinson, confirmed that police were in the process of interviewing leisure centre staff and made the following statement:
“This is a tragic accident and we send our condolences to the family of this young boy. We are co-operating with the police in their investigation and as a mark of respect, the leisure centre will be closed until further notice.”
Mr. Wilkinson also attempted to defend the leisure centre and said:
“I would say our safety record is excellent and we have never had any issues to my knowledge. I am newly-appointed to the cabinet but I believe we have never had a tragedy like this before, and I hope we never have another one.”
Hambleton District Council have sent Kaimen’s family their deepest condolences and the grieving family have released a statement saying that “we are struggling to come to terms with what has happened to Kaimen, it has left us completely devastated. He is such a lovely young boy, the best son and brother anyone could wish for. We would like to thank everybody for all the love and support we have received.”
The full circumstances of the incident have not yet been revealed however it is believed that there were no less than 3 life guards on the scene yet none of them became aware of the young boys plight until it was too late. Local police, Hambleton Council and government health and safety officials have now launched an investigation into the accident and their enquiries are ongoing. North Yorkshire Police have called on anyone with any information or who witnessed the accident to contact them as a matter of urgency.
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