An 11-year-old girl who drowned during a birthday party at a water park in Berkshire was unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled. Kyra Hill died after getting into difficulties in a lake at Liquid Leisure near Windsor on 6 August 2022. The senior coroner Heidi Connor found there had been gross health and safety breaches at the park.
Kyra's father, Leonard Hill, paid tribute to his daughter at the inquest, describing her as a 'beautiful, beaming beacon of light'. He said she dreamed of being a footballer and had a backup plan to become a lawyer. 'Her memory demands that we demand safer standards now,' he said outside court.
The inquest heard that a lifeguard spotted Kyra in trouble and dived in, but 37 minutes passed before 999 was called. The park's owner tried to phone a divemaster and off-duty firefighter, and CCTV showed the diver entering the water more than an hour after Kyra was first seen struggling.
The coroner noted there were no signs warning of deep water, despite depths reaching 4.67 metres. Parents were not advised of a one-to-four ratio for children, and young children were allowed to swim without buoyancy aids. There was no emergency plan or risk assessment addressing these risks.
Connor offered her heartfelt condolences to the family, saying she had not forgotten that this was about their 11-year-old daughter. The family is calling for urgent reform to prevent similar tragedies.
