Girl, 10, died crossing stream on school trip after being swept away by mudslide

A 10-year-old girl suffocated on a school trip after a mudslide swept her off her feet and carried her 20ft down the stream she was crossing, an inquest has heard.

Leah Harrison, from Darlington, was on an instructor-led walk at an outdoor activity centre when a mudslide came down a bank and hit her, leaving her face-down in thick mud.

An inquest heard the Year 6 pupil was out with a group in rainy weather when the “tragic accident” happened at Carlton Bank on the edge of the North York Moors on May 22 last year.

Leah had been on a three-day residential trip with other children from Mount Pleasant Primary School at the Carlton Adventure centre, which is run by Hartlepool Borough Council.

Opening the inquest to jurors at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, assistant coroner Paul Appleton said Leah was crossing a stream when a mudslide collided with her, leaving her “submerged in thick mud” and initial attempts to release her from the mud were unsuccessful.

She was taken to James Cook University Hospital where she was confirmed to be deceased, Mr Appleton said.

He told jurors the inquest would examine the nature of the activity Leah was on, planning for the activity and the weather conditions on May 22.

The school’s headteacher, Joanne Blackham, told an inquest the mudslide “came out of nowhere” and “just took (Leah) away,” saying: “We didn’t hear it, we couldn’t see it.”

Ms Blackham said there had “not been so much as a broken toe” on previous, regular trips to the centre.

She said she had got to know Leah well on the first day of the trip and was “really impressed with her resilience and her character”.

Ms Blackham said: “She was absolutely loving the time at Carlton, she really pushed herself out of her comfort zone.”

She told the inquest she had no concerns about the weather that morning, saying: “It was just a rainy day.”

She added the path they were on was “one we used all the time” and there were no issues crossing the stream before.

Senior activities officer at the centre, Paul Godwin, described the weather on the day as “misty and drizzly” but said it did not cause him any concern “as countless groups have gone out to do that activity in similar conditions if not worse”.

Reading his statement at the inquest, Mr Godwin said: “I have seen these conditions countless times so it was of no real concern.

“It is my opinion on that particular day, on that particular activity, what happened to Leah could not be predicted and could not be avoided. There was no difference in conditions from identical times this activity has been carried out safely.”

The inquest heard there was a Met Office yellow weather warning in place that day, which Mr Godwin said meant “everything should be okay but obviously, a bit of caution, and keep away from low lying areas”.

He said there was “no prior indication any such risk (of mudslides) might ever arise in the area”.

The inquest heard Leah died from traumatic asphyxiation after coming to rest face-down in thick mud, which prevented her being able to breathe.

A statement from pathologist Dr Jennifer Bolton said Leah did not inhale any mud as the lower part of her face was covered by her waterproof coat, but that the coat also prevented her from breathing as it was pressed against her nose and mouth.

Activities instructor Snothile Reed, who led the group Leah was with, said she and Mr Godwin had discussed the weather warning that morning and he asked her if she was comfortable going out.

She told the inquest: “I was because the weather wasn’t out of the norm for how it normally is for us.”

The inquest heard that, earlier in the walk, Ms Reed chose not to take the children into a gully as planned because the water levels were higher than normal.

She told the hearing she still considered it was safe to cross the stream, saying: “The stream is something so small I would never take it into consideration whereas the kids are walking in the gully so when the water rises we usually make the decision not to go in there.”

Ms Reed fought back tears as she read from her statement describing how she and Ms Blackham tried to free Leah from the mud.

A report from Dr Daniel Slane, of Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team, said when he arrived at the scene Leah was “completely buried from her thighs to her head” in the stream and only her wellington boots and part of her legs was visible.

He said recovering her involved digging away the mud and using ropes.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Joy Craighead said it was not possible to say whether heavy rain had caused the mudslide.

Ms Craighead said she had not found any breaches of health and safety law in her investigation and Leah’s death had been a “tragic and unforeseen accident”.

She told the inquest the centre’s risk assessment and standard operating procedures were found to be “suitable and sufficient,” adding: “They do not refer to mudslides but this was not something users of this land would be expected to reasonably foresee.”

Ms Craighead said the landowner confirmed the last work that had been done in the area was in the late 1990s and was unlikely to have contributed to the accident.

A statement from Leah’s mother, Michelle Harrison, said her daughter was “a kind, loving, caring, considerate girl” with “the most gorgeous, infectious smile” and a passion for football, whose dream was one day to play for England.

She said: “In the days leading up to the tragic accident on May 22, Leah had been poorly with tonsillitis … I was undecided as to whether I should let her go, with her being poorly, but she seemed to pick up by the afternoon.”

Ms Harrison said Leah was “so excited” to go on the trip when she dropped her off at school.

The statement read: “I gave her the biggest kiss and cuddle and told her to have the best time. That was the last time I saw my daughter alive.”

A conclusion of accidental death was recorded.