An inquest held at Newcastle Coroners’ Court has examined the tragic death of 13-year-old Edie Smart from Monkseaton, North Tyneside. Edie drowned in the North Sea near Whitley Bay on 24 July and died four days after being rescued.
The hearing highlighted the intense efforts made by North East Ambulance Service staff and others to save her life amid difficult conditions.
Bravery At The Scene
Ambulance support practitioners Tracy Collins and Carl Patterson were the first on the scene and began life-saving treatment while waiting for paramedics to arrive. Collins stated there was “no heartbeat” and she was “controlling the arrest” until a paramedic arrived six to eight minutes later. Both practitioners were praised for their bravery despite having only basic life-saving training.
Airway Challenges
The inquest revealed that Edie’s airway was “full of seawater,” and manual suction attempts were ineffective. Patterson explained they were unable to use powered suction devices as this was not within their scope of practice, which complicated efforts to ventilate her.
Paramedic Arrival
Paramedic Zubair Mirza initially thought Collins and Patterson were paramedics and began inserting a cannula before realising they were not. He then took over and cleared the airway using powered equipment. Mirza praised the RNLI and ambulance crew for performing “exceptional” CPR and said he saw no reason to interrupt their efforts.
Family Concerns Over Response
Edie’s family have questioned whether any missed opportunities in the emergency response may have affected her chances of survival. Their representative acknowledged the responders’ courage but raised concerns about delays and the absence of senior staff during critical minutes.
Inquest Ongoing
The inquest is expected to continue until Friday, further examining all aspects of the incident and the emergency response.
Originally published by UKNIP.
