What happened was a tragedy. I was hoping that the youngest would make it through. I cant imagine what the parents are going through.
Sad sad news.
This whole situation is just so heartbreaking.
Can’t even imagine what the families must be going through. And to add to it, the time of year which is supposed to be a joyous time, will forever be scarred and a reminder for them.
Walking back from Perth City centre through one of the parks today, I witnessed two adults encouraging and leading a toddler out into the middle of the frozen pond in the South Inch. Given recent events, I really had to restrain the urge to say something to them.
This is how you end up with a dead kid. Because when 6 years on and that toddler is then old enough to be out playing on their own, they’re going to go straight out onto the ice again, because mum and dad has already taught them that it was safe.
Just said isn’t it? Parents will be blaming themselves till the rest of their lives. Hope the families get support from specialists the will desperately need right now
Just utterly tragic.
This is so sad, the absolute poor souls. My only hope is that their family are supported and taken care of, I can only imagine such an unbearably difficult time for them 🙁
This is heartbreaking. My thoughts with the little ones family and friends.
This made me sad, I was hoping the boy would pull through.
I don’t understand people querying why a kid was on a frozen lake, unsupervised by a parent. This is a tragedy plain and simple and we’ve all done stuff as kids our parents knew nothing about. (My sister, me and a friend could have died in morecambe trying to find the sea with a beach that had quicksand, luckily we didn’t)
My heart goes out to the families of all of these boys.
Could someone explain how they died once out and warming up? Did the cold put them into a coma or something? Horrible, RIP all
Fucking awful. Poor lads.
This whole thing is just awful. I feel so sorry for the families.
Someone on another post mentioned about the old public service adverts that used to warn against this sort of thing.
Really, really, do not step on ice unless it’s been sub-zero for several weeks, and there are other people around already. That way you know it’s thick enough.
Also I think a lot of people think “hmm what’s the worst that can happen? I get cold and wet” but actually you get a heart attack.
Lake ice in the UK doesn’t freeze more than one inch in my experience take around 100lbs to 140lb’s of weight. What likely happen one kid run out into the lake was totally fine than convinced the others to join him. We all know what happen after that.
Fucking hell , heartbreaking. Surprised I’m still here given the amount of dodgy crap like this we got up to in the 80s
Devastating. My thoughts are with the families.
Can we all spare a thought or two for the first responders as well. Who arrived on scene to the most desperate of circumstances. No amount of training ever prepares you for events and outcomes like this. And they would all be going home to their own families, with a degree of guilt thinking “could we have done more” despite giving their all.
Such sad news but what on earth was the kid doing on ice anyway? Parents really need to educate their kids, this happens every year and they still don’t learn.
I have been thinking about this all week and praying the 6 year old would pull through, it was so so sad to hear this news today.
I grew up here, Babb’s Mill was my playground, I don’t recall anything like this happening before though. We used to play at the edge and in the river with our fishing nets in the 90’s. What you don’t see is that houses are very close, just a quiet road between the houses and the field to the lake, so kids do play out and seem right outside their houses and ‘safe’ during the day. I’m sure it’s like when I was younger (I’ve sinced moved away) where all the local kids know each other and feel safe playing out without parents, especially a group together. I go back to visit because I loved growing up here and have tonnes of memories playing here, I took my son in July on a hot day, and he paddled in the lake along with a group of other kids.
I’m visiting to lay flowers and pay my respects on Saturday with my family. I’m bringing my little boy in a hope he remembers this and doesn’t try walking on a frozen lake. He’s six too and I have explained and talked to him about it this week, but he just doesn’t understand that you can’t just swim and get back out. That lake has really thick silt at the bottom also, imagine it’s hard with shoes on, be like being in the sea with clothes on but freezing. Terrible scary tragedy.
Thoughts are with the family.
This is awful and Heartbreaking, don’t even know what to say
Utterly tragic and heartbreaking.
I was born in the 80s but can remember those scary adverts about death lurking about trying to kill little children. I wish they could be updated for today’s kids. We all did silly things, and went to forbidden places when we were younger.
Absolutely heartbreaking. That poor family, my heart goes out to all those effected by this.
I know kids will be kids, but we really need more education about the dangers of playing on ice and cold water.
I am originally from Solihull and one of my cousins still lives there and they have two young kids. I now live in Canada via New York.
Here is the deal: stay off the friggin ice!
It is generally not cold enough over there for it to properly form. I was taught ice by my American friends: you want 8 inches for groups of people. Grey or white ice is never okay (doubt you get grey ice but you may).
You need sustained cold for the ice to form ( at least -7 if not colder). Read up on it. There are a number of Canadian sites that discuss ice thickness but over here but it is common knowledge (it is simply part of the culture).
You have to drill the ice to find its depth. We had a large skating pond in our back yard and we used to drill it everyday to make sure it was safe. And we drilled in different areas. If it was safe we would turn on the lights and play hockey. If not, then no skating. No one ever fell in.
If you haven’t drilled then you simply cannot know that the blue ice is strong enough, period.
And since I do not recall anyone ever drilling ice in Solihull or any where else for that matter in the UK, you have to assume it is unsafe.
RIP those poor children: it is just awful.
It’s horrible. This could have happened so easily to me as a youth. Luckily, the lakes near me would crack on the first step, rather than the 10th.
24 comments
What happened was a tragedy. I was hoping that the youngest would make it through. I cant imagine what the parents are going through.
Sad sad news.
This whole situation is just so heartbreaking.
Can’t even imagine what the families must be going through. And to add to it, the time of year which is supposed to be a joyous time, will forever be scarred and a reminder for them.
Walking back from Perth City centre through one of the parks today, I witnessed two adults encouraging and leading a toddler out into the middle of the frozen pond in the South Inch. Given recent events, I really had to restrain the urge to say something to them.
This is how you end up with a dead kid. Because when 6 years on and that toddler is then old enough to be out playing on their own, they’re going to go straight out onto the ice again, because mum and dad has already taught them that it was safe.
Just said isn’t it? Parents will be blaming themselves till the rest of their lives. Hope the families get support from specialists the will desperately need right now
Just utterly tragic.
This is so sad, the absolute poor souls. My only hope is that their family are supported and taken care of, I can only imagine such an unbearably difficult time for them 🙁
This is heartbreaking. My thoughts with the little ones family and friends.
This made me sad, I was hoping the boy would pull through.
I don’t understand people querying why a kid was on a frozen lake, unsupervised by a parent. This is a tragedy plain and simple and we’ve all done stuff as kids our parents knew nothing about. (My sister, me and a friend could have died in morecambe trying to find the sea with a beach that had quicksand, luckily we didn’t)
My heart goes out to the families of all of these boys.
Could someone explain how they died once out and warming up? Did the cold put them into a coma or something? Horrible, RIP all
Fucking awful. Poor lads.
This whole thing is just awful. I feel so sorry for the families.
Someone on another post mentioned about the old public service adverts that used to warn against this sort of thing.
Really, really, do not step on ice unless it’s been sub-zero for several weeks, and there are other people around already. That way you know it’s thick enough.
Also I think a lot of people think “hmm what’s the worst that can happen? I get cold and wet” but actually you get a heart attack.
Lake ice in the UK doesn’t freeze more than one inch in my experience take around 100lbs to 140lb’s of weight. What likely happen one kid run out into the lake was totally fine than convinced the others to join him. We all know what happen after that.
Fucking hell , heartbreaking. Surprised I’m still here given the amount of dodgy crap like this we got up to in the 80s
Devastating. My thoughts are with the families.
Can we all spare a thought or two for the first responders as well. Who arrived on scene to the most desperate of circumstances. No amount of training ever prepares you for events and outcomes like this. And they would all be going home to their own families, with a degree of guilt thinking “could we have done more” despite giving their all.
Such sad news but what on earth was the kid doing on ice anyway? Parents really need to educate their kids, this happens every year and they still don’t learn.
I have been thinking about this all week and praying the 6 year old would pull through, it was so so sad to hear this news today.
I grew up here, Babb’s Mill was my playground, I don’t recall anything like this happening before though. We used to play at the edge and in the river with our fishing nets in the 90’s. What you don’t see is that houses are very close, just a quiet road between the houses and the field to the lake, so kids do play out and seem right outside their houses and ‘safe’ during the day. I’m sure it’s like when I was younger (I’ve sinced moved away) where all the local kids know each other and feel safe playing out without parents, especially a group together. I go back to visit because I loved growing up here and have tonnes of memories playing here, I took my son in July on a hot day, and he paddled in the lake along with a group of other kids.
I’m visiting to lay flowers and pay my respects on Saturday with my family. I’m bringing my little boy in a hope he remembers this and doesn’t try walking on a frozen lake. He’s six too and I have explained and talked to him about it this week, but he just doesn’t understand that you can’t just swim and get back out. That lake has really thick silt at the bottom also, imagine it’s hard with shoes on, be like being in the sea with clothes on but freezing. Terrible scary tragedy.
Thoughts are with the family.
This is awful and Heartbreaking, don’t even know what to say
Utterly tragic and heartbreaking.
I was born in the 80s but can remember those scary adverts about death lurking about trying to kill little children. I wish they could be updated for today’s kids. We all did silly things, and went to forbidden places when we were younger.
Absolutely heartbreaking. That poor family, my heart goes out to all those effected by this.
I know kids will be kids, but we really need more education about the dangers of playing on ice and cold water.
I am originally from Solihull and one of my cousins still lives there and they have two young kids. I now live in Canada via New York.
Here is the deal: stay off the friggin ice!
It is generally not cold enough over there for it to properly form. I was taught ice by my American friends: you want 8 inches for groups of people. Grey or white ice is never okay (doubt you get grey ice but you may).
You need sustained cold for the ice to form ( at least -7 if not colder). Read up on it. There are a number of Canadian sites that discuss ice thickness but over here but it is common knowledge (it is simply part of the culture).
You have to drill the ice to find its depth. We had a large skating pond in our back yard and we used to drill it everyday to make sure it was safe. And we drilled in different areas. If it was safe we would turn on the lights and play hockey. If not, then no skating. No one ever fell in.
If you haven’t drilled then you simply cannot know that the blue ice is strong enough, period.
And since I do not recall anyone ever drilling ice in Solihull or any where else for that matter in the UK, you have to assume it is unsafe.
RIP those poor children: it is just awful.
It’s horrible. This could have happened so easily to me as a youth. Luckily, the lakes near me would crack on the first step, rather than the 10th.
It reminded me of this photo I saw a few years back which I thought was interesting, but in hindsight v. dangerous.
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/81ow3s/ice_skating_on_the_canals_of_amsterdam/