Incident Report: Cameron Sandell
Dec 22, 2022Homepage > Incident Reports > Inland Water
Cameron Sandell was 14 years old when on Sunday, 17 April 2011, at around 11:20, he drowned whilst canoeing with a friend in Teston Lock on the River Medway. The pair travelled down the River Medway to a lock, sluice and weir at Teston. He was wearing a helmet and personal floatation device.
The current was strong, and water coming over the sluice caused Cameron to capsize. The current continued to roll Cameron, trapped in his canoe. Friends and bystanders attempted to free Cameron and managed to free him from his canoe, but he remained trapped while still submerged under the water. Shortly after, Cameron lost consciousness while still submerged.
Paramedics spent more than an hour trying to resuscitate Cameron. Cameron was transferred to Maidstone General Hospital, but the medical team were unsuccessful in their attempts to save his life.
Cameron was an experienced canoeist, having taken up the sport at age 11 years old and later passing his two-star assessment with the British Canoe Union. He was a Scout, played rugby, and had ambitions to join the army as an officer. His family has since supported events to raise funds for drowning prevention efforts.
Note: I wish those affected all the best in their future. No part of this article purports to attribute blame. See our methodology page for further details on how these case summaries are constructed.
Boyle, D. 2012. Teenage canoeist Cameron Sandell's death an accident, coroner rules. Kent Online, 20 June, 14:48; first published 14:30. Available at: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/teenage-canoeist-cameron-sandell-a63342/ accessed 24 July 2022.
BBC News. 2012. Cameron Sandell's canoe death was an accident. 20 June. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-18526320 accessed 24 July 2022.
ITV News. 2012. Accidental death verdict recorded. 20 June, 17:19. Available at: https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2012-06-20/accidental-death-verdict-recorded accessed 24 June 2022.
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Heart. 2011. Boy dies in canoe accident. 19 April, 16:03; first published 14:20. Available at: https://www.heart.co.uk/kent/news/local/boy-dies-canoe-accident/ accessed 24 June 2022.
Ashton, B. 2018. The 11 lives tragically taken by the River Medway. Kent Live, 27 June, 16:37; first published 22 October 2017, 06:00. Available at: https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/7-tragic-incidents-river-medway-662966 accessed 24 June 2022.
Hussain, D. 2011. Multi-agency water safety campaign reinforces risks after recent deaths. Police Professional, 23 June. Available at: https://www.policeprofessional.com/news/multi-agency-water-safety-campaign-reinforces-risks-after-recent-deaths/ accessed 24 June 2022.
Kent Online. 2011. Tragic canoe teen named by police. 19 April, 14:16. Available at: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/tragic-canoe-teen-named-by-polic-a75558/ accessed 24 June 2022.
Kent Online. 2011. Parents pay tribute to River Medway canoe victim Cameron Sandell. 17 June, 00:01. Available at: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/parents-pay-tribute-to-river-med-a74096/ accessed 24 June 2022.
BBC News. 2011. Kent family's tribute after River Medway canoe death. 19 April. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-13133576 accessed 24 June 2022.
BBC News. 2011. Living nightmare of son's death on River Medway. 16 June, 20:19. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-13800193 accessed 24 June 2022.
Citation. Jacklin, D. 2022. Case Summary: Cameron Sandell. Water Incident Research Hub, 22 December.
