A witness has described how the father of a teenage girl who died at Kingsbury Water Park was 'frantically' running alongside the lake after she disappeared beneath the surface. The tragedy unfolded on Monday, May 25, the hottest day of the year, at the popular beauty spot between Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield.
Emergency Response
Specialist police teams, a helicopter crew, firefighters, and ambulance personnel were called to the park shortly after 6pm. The victim, identified in tributes as 16-year-old Lil, was pulled from the water just after 7pm and confirmed deceased at the scene.
Chief Insp Ben Hembry, North Warwickshire area commander, said: 'We were called at around 6pm to reports of youths in the water. One was in particular difficulty. When we arrived it was identified a female teenager had gone missing underwater. A multi-agency response of police, ambulance and fire all attended as well as a range of support from the park to do an extensive search.'
Father's Desperate Search
Witnesses reported that the father arrived at the scene and was 'frantically' running up and down the bank. He entered the water in a desperate attempt to find his daughter before her body was discovered.
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'They were all jumping off into the water off the bridge. They always do it on days like this but apparently she couldn't really swim and it's quite deep. Her father and her friend waded in but there are some deep bits. It's full of weeds and silt and things like that.'
Another local added: 'The dad was frantically going up and down the river looking for her. You can't imagine what he is going through today.'
Dangers of Open Water
Chief Insp Hembry urged people to stay out of open water, noting that jumping from bridges is a known practice among young people in hot weather. A family member said the victim could not swim and would never have jumped off the bridge.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service issued a warning: 'The weather is warming up and you might be tempted to cool off in water, but danger could be lurking under the surface. Even on warm days, the water can still be very cold and cold water shock is highly dangerous.'
Floral tributes were left at the scene, and a family member described a young boy who jumped in to try to save her as an 'unsung hero.'
