Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of William Carus. -EpilepsyU staff
A teenage kayaker who drowned during a race on the Thames was today named as William Carus.
The 17-year-old is believed to have suffered an epileptic seizure during the amateur race near Richmond on Sunday. His body was found yesterday after a huge search operation on the Thames.
Mr Carus, from Tonbridge, Kent, slipped under the water when his boat overturned. A fellow kayaker, who watched him swim towards the bank holding onto his boat with one hand, assumed he would reach safety and carried on with the race.
However, Mr Carus never reached the bank and his body was found at 1.50pm yesterday.
The teenager, an experienced rower, had not been wearing a lifejacket during the annual Richmond Hasler Marathon, an eight-mile race.
A source said: “He has suffered from [epilepsy] in the past. The facts are that where he drowned there is no flow whatsoever in the river and it is very slow. The chap could swim. It seems he drowned because he had a fit.”
Race organiser Richard Hendron, from Richmond Canoe Club, said it was a “freak accident”. He said: “We probably had more safety cover than any other event – there are kayaks up and down the water, but you can’t cover the entire course all the time.
“It was a completely freak accident, and we offer the family our sincere condolences at this very tragic event.”
Mr Hendron said that only competitors in the three lowest categories would have worn lifejackets. Mr Carus was competing in category four out of nine. Mr Hendron added: “He was an experienced rower, and wearing a lifejacket when you are racing slows you down.”
Today his parents Jean and Graeme Carus said they were too traumatised to speak about their son. One relative said: “It is such a shock for everyone.”
A post-mortem examination will be held to determine the cause of death
Story was found here: Teenage kayak racer drowned in Thames race after epileptic fit | News.
