Son jumped in river to save men swept away in 4x4

Glaisdale off-roading tragedy victims (L-R) Kenneth Patrick Hibbins, Leslie Forbes and Scott Thomas Daddy

A man jumped into a river to try to save his father and friends after their 4x4 was swept off a ford, an inquest has heard.

The men were travelling in a Land Rover on 28 December last year as part of an organised "green laning" trip, which is off-road driving on public rights of way.

Leading a convoy of five, the vehicle had reached a ford on Rake Lane in Glaisdale, when Robert Forbes got out of the car to take pictures.

He crossed the River Esk on a footbridge but his father Leslie Forbes and two friends, Scott Daddy and Kenneth Patrick Hibbins, were swept away and drowned when they tried to drive across, the inquest in Northallerton heard.

The force of the water in the swollen river had pushed the Land Rover off the ford and downstream, the hearing was told.

In a statement, Robert said he had run down the riverside, threw his phone on the bank and jumped in to help.

He managed to climb onto the car's rear bumper and saw the three men leant against the back seat.

They hoped to smash the back window but a dog guard prevented them from reaching it and the water pressure meant the doors were too heavy to hold open.

The River Esk near Glaisdale after three men trapped in a submerged 4x4 vehicle were swept away as they attempted to cross the river

With the car still not fully submerged, Robert remained on it as he felt like he could not leave his father and friends.

However, emergency services arrived about an hour later and rescued Robert, with further efforts to recover the car starting at about 13:00 GMT.

Firefighter Richard Daffern, who is now retired, told the inquest the rescue was "frustrating" because the water was "deep, cold and fast-moving".

It took more than two hours to pull the Land Rover to the river bank and the bodies of Mr Daddy, 28, from Hull; Mr Forbes, 70, from North Newbald; and Mr Hibbins, 59, from York, were found inside.

All of the men were part of East Riding 4x4 Club and were considered experienced green laners.

According to Robert, all four men had decided prior to crossing that the ford would be safe.

Others did not cross

The inquest heard from other members of the club, who had decided not to cross at Rake Lane.

Ian Robinson, who organised the trip alongside Robert, had headed up another convoy on the trip.

He said marker boards on the River Esk showed it was about 4ft (1.2m) deep and as they were pulling into Rake Lane, a driver at the back of the convoy asked "should we being doing this?".

They decided to put safety first and reroute.

Coroner Jonathan Leach recorded the cause of death as misadventure - a deliberate act that went wrong.

He shared his condolences with the families, two of which were in attendance.

The victims were described in a previous tribute as "the kindest souls".

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