'Brave' boy died trying to save friend in river
SuppliedA coroner has praised the bravery of a teenager who died after trying to save his friend who fell into deep river water while swinging from a rope.
Aras Rudzianskas, 13, and David Radut, 14, both from Newcastle, died after getting into trouble in the River Tyne at Ovingham, Northumberland, in May 2024.
At an inquest, assistant coroner Paul Dunn said if he had been able to record a conclusion of "bravery" in the case of Rudzianskas he would have done so "without hesitation" saying he went in the water "without a thought" for his own safety.
He also questioned why it had taken almost two years for safety signs and equipment to be erected in the area after a teenager died there in 2022.
Emergency crews were called to the river on 18 May 2024. Radut was pronounced dead at the scene and Rudzianskas died in hospital three days later.
On the second day of an inquest at County Hall in Morpeth, Dunn recorded a narrative verdict in the case of Rudzianskas.
Dunn said it was one of the bravest acts he had seen recorded "in 20 years as a coroner", adding he "gave the ultimate sacrifice selflessly" while attempting to save his friend.
In Radut's case he recorded a conclusion of accidental death.
Dunn said he had "got into difficulties" after he fell into deep water while swinging from a rope.
He told the inquest this "marks his death as an accident", adding he "suspected both boys were beyond saving within seconds of entering the river".
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service station manager Martin Kammeier told the inquest there was a proposal to install a sign in the area after Robert Hattersley, 13, also died there in July 2022.
He said the "community risk management plan" was reviewed following his death.
Kammeier said a water safety programme included 64 talks in schools and local organisations during 2024, which was double the number the previous year.
Signs and water safety equipment were also to be placed in high risk areas including rescue lines which could assist with dragging people out of the water.
He said there was a proposal to install a sign saying 'This water is dangerous do not enter!' at "exactly" the place the boys entered the water in 2024.
Kammerier said there was a "degree of frustration" that it had not been installed earlier but resourcing was a "constraint".
Sign plans
Rory Wilson from Northumberland Estates, which owns the section of river bank, told the inquest his organisation had given permission for water safety signs to be installed in the area on 19 April 2024, less than a month before the boys died.
He said the company tried to be "as helpful as possible" and he understood it had never refused a request for safety signs.
Following the deaths of the two boys, five additional sets of signs and rescue equipment were installed, Kammeier said.
However, Dunn said the two years between the tragedies "seemed an inordinate amount length of time to erect signs".
Dunn also asked Kammeier why the safety signs which were subsequently installed did not mention there had been three deaths in the area.
Kammerier said he was "advised by senior managers not to do it in case it caused distress to families".
Neil Dawson, countryside and green spaces manager at Northumberland County Council, told the inquest the authority was not aware of the rope swing Radut and Rudzianskas used.
He said the council "don't inspect every last inch" of the area, but would remove rope swings and "the branch and limb" of trees they were suspended from as they became aware of them.
