Teenager, 17, who drowned after being trapped in capsized pleasure cruiser was unable to escape after her lifejacket automatically inflated
- Gillian Davey was on board when vessel was hit by large wave off north Cornwall
- Once it capsized, she and her mother put on their lifejackets, which inflated
- Mrs Davey was then trapped under a table, separating her from her daughter
- She managed to remove lifejacket and swim out through submerged cabin door
- But Gillian kept hers on, causing her to remain trapped while on board Norma G
A teenager who drowned after being trapped in the cabin of a capsized pleasure cruiser was unable to escape after her lifejacket automatically inflated, an investigation has found.
Gillian Davey, 17, was with her parents and brother on board the vessel when it was hit by a large wave off the north Cornwall coast on May 25 last year.
A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said that once the boat capsized, Gillian and her mother Caroline, who were in the cabin, put on their lifejackets, which inflated when the room started to fill with water.
As the boat, Norma G, became unstable, Mrs Davey became trapped under a table, separating her from her daughter.
Mrs Davey managed to remove her lifejacket and swim out through the submerged cabin door, but Gillian kept hers on, causing her to be trapped.
Gillian Davey (above), 17, drowned after being trapped in the cabin of a capsized pleasure cruiser was unable to escape after her lifejacket automatically inflated, an investigation has found
The teenager (pictured) was trapped in the cabin of the boat when it capsized after being struck by a 6ft (2m) ‘wall of water’ – while her father, Stefan, desperately tried to save her
Gillian Davey, 17, was with her parents and brother on board the vessel, Norma G (above), when it was hit by a large wave off the north Cornwall coast on May 25 last year
Gillian’s father, Stefan Davey, and his son, had been thrown clear of the vessel when the wave hit.
They and Mrs Davey were rescued by a passing harbour patrol boat.
Mr Davey made repeated attempts to help his daughter, but by the time he was able to remove her from the cabin she was not breathing.
She was taken to Royal Cornwall Hospital on the outskirts of Truro, where she was pronounced dead.
The MAIB said: ‘Without doubt, the wearing of personal flotation devices, such as lifejackets, saves lives.
‘However, there are circumstances when wearing automatically inflating lifejackets can be hazardous, for example when in enclosed spaces such as accommodation areas and cabins.’
Mr Davey was navigating the notoriously tricky Doom Bar sandbank at the mouth of the Camel Estuary when the incident happened.
The MAIB noted that his limited boating experience meant he did not fully appreciate the dangers of being so close to the sandbank around low tide.
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