London, August 01: A 15-year-old girl, Lucy Reed, tragically died after being swept away by the tide while swimming off Cleethorpes beach just hours after eating pizza and chips, an inquest has heard. Lucy, from Gainsborough, went into the water with a friend on June 24, 2023, following a day trip with her mother. Despite being advised to wait after lunch, she entered the sea around 1pm. When she failed to return, her mother raised the alarm, triggering an urgent Coastguard and police search.

Senior coroner Paul Smith concluded Lucy died from asphyxiation due to inhaling vomit, triggered by swimming on a full stomach. A post-mortem found no evidence of drowning, but that Lucy aspirated after vomiting while struggling against a falling tide. Neither she nor her friend were strong swimmers. UK Woman Dies After Dog Licks Her Open Wound, Triggering Rare Bacterial Infection That Caused Sepsis and Organ Failure.

Search efforts lasted over three hours. She was eventually found and airlifted to Hull Royal Infirmary, where she was pronounced dead. The coroner ruled her death as misadventure, stressing it was an unintended consequence of swimming after a heavy meal. He warned parents about the often-overlooked dangers of swimming too soon after eating. Turkey: UK Woman on Holiday Trip Dies Hours After Landing in Istanbul, Family Demands Answers As Her Heart Goes Missing From Chest Cavity.

Lucy’s mother shared that the two had lunch at 11:30am and returned briefly to the arcades before Lucy insisted on a swim. The Coastguard later confirmed tides and currents may have worsened her situation.

Mr Smith emphasised the tragedy was not due to delays in the rescue, but a combination of poor swimming ability, tidal forces, and aspiration. He expressed sympathy to Lucy’s family and thanked emergency responders for their efforts. In her memory, over £1,000 has been raised for the RNLI. Authorities continue to urge beachgoers to be aware of tide timings and to avoid swimming on a full stomach.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 01, 2025 10:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).