Flood victim boy had 'no chance'

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An inquest has heard how a 14-year-old boy was swept to his death in a swollen river during the Sheffield floods.

Ryan Parry was walking home from school with a group of friends on 25 June when he "inadvertently" stepped into deep, fast-flowing water in the River Sheaf.

His mother, Amanda, sobbed as witnesses described how only minutes earlier the teenager had splashed about in puddles.

A second inquest heard how three men tried in vain to save 68-year-old Peter Harding on the same day in the city.

South Yorkshire coroner Christopher Dorries recommended Christopher Brennan, Richard Tomlinson and Darren Fogg receive bravery awards for risking their lives in the rescue attempt.

Recording narrative verdicts in both cases, Mr Dorries said: "The events that day were staggering and unparalleled, the like of which I hope we never see again."

It just seemed like kids coming home from school in bad weather, a bit of an adventure Witness Craig Shaw

Witnesses described how Ryan had been playing in puddles near the River Sheaf in Millhouses Park minutes before tragedy struck.

Witness Craig Shaw told the hearing: "It just seemed like kids coming home from school in bad weather, a bit of an adventure."

He said Ryan jumped into the air, as if to jump into a puddle, but on landing, his feet went from underneath him and he fell into the river.

The boy was swept away so quickly there was no chance of anybody rescuing him, he said.

Ryan's friends told the police in statements how one of the group managed to grab his finger before he was swept towards a tree, the hearing was told.

Ryan then grabbed a branch, which snapped, and he was carried away down the river, before his body was recovered later.

Mr Dorries said: "Ryan had inadvertently come close to the edge of deep water... which was concealed by the flooding."

Mr Harding died after being caught in floods in the Wicker area

Giving evidence in the inquest into Mr Harding's death, Christopher Brennan told how the pair met as they were walking to their respective homes and decided to wade through water below Newhall Bridge.

Mr Brennan said: "We [thought] it would not be a monumental task [and] we could just wade through."

But as the water rose to neck-high, Mr Brennan realised Mr Harding, from the Burngreave area of the city, was in difficulties.

He said they struggled for at least 10 minutes holding on to girders beneath the bridge in "pitch black" conditions, before he finally lost sight of Mr Harding, who died later in hospital.

A pathologist's report said Mr Harding suffered from coronary disease, which would have contributed to his death.

Praising the three men for their bravery, Mr Dorries said: "Many people, I suspect, would have got themselves out of the water and felt that in this cold and awful situation they would content themselves with what they could do from the edge but you men didn't do that, you were in there."