A coroner says a young girl's death on the West Coast is a tragic reminder of the dangers of river mouths
A coroner says a young girl's death on the West Coast is a tragic reminder of the dangers of river mouths
14 May 2021
Emily Branje was swept out to sea as she watched her grandfather whitebaiting at Hokitika River in 2019.
The life-jackets were in the car because her grandfather thought the water wasn't rough.
Witnesses say the nine-year-old tried to swim on her back after being knocked off her feet by a large swell.
Coroner Sue Johnson ruled the Rolleston girl's drowning accidental, but says she would've had more chance of surviving if she'd been wearing a life-jacket.
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