The mother of a 13-year-old boy who drowned in West Yorkshire has called for warning signs to be installed at the bridge where he jumped into the river. Tomi Solomon died after leaping into the River Calder at Brighouse on 1 June 2021.
At an inquest, Senior Coroner Martin Fleming heard there were no safety or warning signs to discourage swimming or jumping from the bridge on Huntington Road. He ruled the death was misadventure by drowning and said he would write to Calderdale Council about the issue.
Tomi, who could swim, was visiting the site for the first time with friends who were jumping into the water. He felt peer pressure but was not coerced, the inquest heard. After jumping, he struggled and despite efforts from friends and other teenagers, he failed to resurface. His body was recovered after a 90-minute search by emergency services.
Tomi's mother, Frida Ndabue, told the coroner there was 'absolutely no warning sign' at the site and criticised the lack of water safety measures. 'There is no warning, nothing I could see that can protect kids and not to let them jump from that bridge,' she said. His father, Mbamu Solomon, described his son as 'a very happy young man' who loved family, football, and school.
The Canal and River Trust, which does not have direct responsibility for the bridge, has conducted risk assessments and runs a summer water safety campaign. Coroner Fleming said he would ask the bridge owners to consider remedial action, as requested by Tomi's parents. Tomi, who was born in the Netherlands, played for Bradford City's under-13s for three years; the club has retired his shirt number across the academy.
