Lewis Kirkpatrick: Inquest opens into Carlisle teen's river death

Lewis Kirkpatrick had been paddling in the River Eden with three friends

A passer-by risked his life to try to rescue two boys from a river in an incident that killed their 15-year-old friend, an inquest has heard.

Lewis Kirkpatrick died in the River Eden, on the outskirts of Carlisle in May.

Cockermouth Coroner's Court heard that it happened less than two weeks after Lewis's 15th birthday.

A full inquest will be held later this year.

The preliminary hearing was told Lewis had met his three friends on Friday 26 May after leaving home about 16:30 BST.

Two members of the public saw the four boys paddling at the side of the river in the Rosehill area before they began to struggle.

The coroner, Margaret Taylor, said the youngsters had been "there for some time, walking further out, when they appear to have dropped off a ledge".

One managed to get to safety and told passer-by Luke Marwood "his friends needed help as they couldn't swim".

Mr Marwood managed to get hold of two of the boys, the coroner said, but he "was almost pulled under the water himself" as the pair panicked.

'Trapped under water'

He was able to get one boy to safety while the other who had slipped from his grasp was rescued by police officers who had just arrived.

Fire crews helped search for Lewis for several hours

One boy, aged 14, was airlifted to hospital in Newcastle but, with Lewis missing, a search began that eventually lasted 18 hours.

Lewis's body was eventually found "trapped under water very close to where he was last seen", Ms Taylor said.

She added that a full inquest into Lewis's death would be needed once all lines of inquiry have concluded. The hearing is provisionally due to take place in November.

She also urged people to be careful around water.

In a statement released after Lewis's death, his parents Paul and Nichola described him as a "kind, caring and funny" teen who had a "cheeky and infectious smile".

"Lewis was the baby of the family and his death has left a gaping hole that can never be filled," they said.