Coroner calls for regulation overhaul following Emily Lewis' death in RIB 'fun' boat
Following the death of 15-year-old Emily Lewis, fatally injured in August 2020 when the RIB high speed boat she was riding in hit a buoy in Southampton Water at 43mph, Assistant Coroner Henry Charles will issue a Prevention of Future Deaths Report to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Secretary of State for Transport and other agencies.
Although he recorded a narrative verdict, the Assistant Coroner said he was concerned that the skipper of the Seadogz RIB was operating it alone with no crew members to keep watch. The Assistant Coroner also said there were issues over seating, handholds and the company's risk assessment, which he described as 'cursory and generic'.
Partner Keith Barrett currently acts for all 11 passengers on the RIB including Emily's mother, father and sister in personal injury claims against the operating company.
Emily was thrown forward from a bench seat and died from upper abdominal injuries.
The Assistant Coroner said: "The skipper lost positional awareness in the moments before the accident'. He also warned that existing regulations for the maritime industry were 'complex and subject to interpretation'.
The inquest heard that Seadogz had been involved in three previous similar accidents.
In March last year, Michael Lawrence, 55, driving the boat, was found not guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence but convicted of failing to maintain a proper lookout and to proceed at a safe speed. Michael Howley, 52, the owner of Seadogz, was convicted of not operating the vessel safely.
The men were sentenced at Winchester crown court to 18 weeks in custody suspended for two years, ordered to complete 125 hours of community service and pay £1,000 of court costs.
Judge Butcher said: “It is still unknown exactly why you, Michael Lawrence, drove the Rib as you did.
“I am sure the accident was not caused by your deliberately driving at the buoy or aiming to go close and swerve away, instead what happened must have been the result of inattention or distraction.”
The RIB sped directly at the buoy for 14 seconds before hitting it, throwing two passengers into the water and injuring the others.
Keith has concluded some of the claims and continues to seek compensation for Emily's devastated family.
The Assistant Coroner's narrative conclusion states:
'The skipper had lost positional awareness in the moments before the collision. This was most likely due to a combination of being desensitised to the risk of high-speed rib operations and the high mental workload associated with operating Seadogz alone at high speed near other marine assets.
It is highly likely that the skipper's decision to conduct the transit close to the ferry significantly contributed to his high mental workload and loss of positional awareness. The tasks associated with acting as sole watchkeeper, navigator and passenger attendant undoubtedly increased the skipper's mental workload.
The skipper's field of vision ahead was obscured by the passengers in front of him, the raised bow as the RIB planed at high speed, and when the bow rose and dropped having crossed the ferry's wake in the moments before the collision.
Forward visibility complied with BS EN ISO 11591 - but the standard did not evaluate the effect on forward visibility of full loading of passengers with the craft at maximum running trim.
The Seadogz seating arrangement provided inadequate passenger protection in the event of a sudden deceleration, the handhold for the Deceased inflicted her fatal injuries. The size of the passengers allocated to the bench seat, including the Deceased meant that they could not effectively brace themselves against forward motion.
Neither the SCV nor the Recreational Craft Directive provided specific conditions or guidance re seat design or RIB protection. Had guidance in Maritime Guidance Note 436 (M+F) been followed this may have prompted the skipper to refuse the Deceased boarding.
The skipper may have experienced a negative startle response when he suddenly observed the buoy ahead. It is likely that passengers became desensitised to the high speed close passing of navigation buoys and vessels, reducing their ability to alert the skipper to an impending hazard.
The MAIB described the Seadogz's written risk assessment as cursory and generic, it did not consider the risk of impact or collision during a RIB experience ride. No safety management system with external review process or structured approach to learning from the RIB's previous accidents existed.'
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