A teenager drowned in a freezing cold lake when his canoe capsized on a wild camping trip with friends, an inquest heard.
Sonny Clark, 17, had taken his father’s canoe out on Rudyard Lake, Staffordshire, on February, 24, late at night when the water would be near freezing.
After a successful initial outing on the 1C waters, they returned to the lake at roughly 8.50pm without lifejackets.
Sonny had been positioned in the middle of the canoe without a seat and decided to stand up. at which point the vessel began to take on water.
All three of the boys on the canoe fell into the water and tried to swim ashore, but only two made it to safety.
Sonny Clark, 17, drowned when his canoe took on water on Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire
Sonny enjoyed being in the outdoors with his friends and most of his hobbies involved nature
According to statements from the two friends, they lost balance and water got inside the boat making it sink.
The alarm was raised when Sonny couldn’t be seen and his body found the following day on February 25.
He was pronounced dead after being taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital by paramedics.
The inquest heard Sonny was experienced in canoeing as he had been doing it since childhood with his dad, including holiday trips to France.
Most of his hobbies focussed on being out in nature but both his parents, David and Lisa, had advised him not to go out on the water that night.
Sonny from Leek, attended Beresford First School, where he was a school ambassador and was liked by his teachers and ‘had an aptitude for learning’.
He went on to Churnet View Middle School and Buxton and Leek College where he studied joinery and became close friends with two of the boys on the camping trip.
Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire would be almost freezing in February when Sonny fell in
Sonny and his friends got into trouble on the lake after being warned not to go out on the water
Both Sonny’s parents, David and Lisa, said he should not go out on the water but he did so
Coroner Philip Vollans concluded that Sonny’s cause of death was drowning as a result of an accident.
He said: ‘Between February 24 and 25, during a camping trip with friends, Sonny went onto Rudyard Lake in a canoe.
‘During the activity the canoe became unbalanced and Sonny and his friends fell into the lake.
‘Due to the cold temperature of the water and due to the clothing he was wearing at the time Sonny fell into the water and was located by the recovery team.
‘Having heard the evidence I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the medical cause of death is one of drowning. My short form conclusion is one of accidental death.’
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