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Two Relatives Die in Same River 12 Years Apart

Their grief has driven them to back the Mirror's 'Save Lives for Sam' campaign calling for urgent water-safety education, social-media outreach, government action

Overview

  • The family says 16-year-old Tyler Wilson entered the River Aire and Calder near Methley Bridge on May 24, 2023 and was found dead after a major search that officers completed about 90 minutes later.
  • About 12 years earlier the same stretch of river claimed Andrew Scott after he slipped from stepping stones and was taken by the current.
  • Emergency services including police, ambulance crews and drones carried out the search and located Tyler’s body for recovery, a process the family say revived the trauma of the earlier loss.
  • Tyler’s mother and relatives describe long-term psychological effects such as an inability to be near water, ongoing fear of bathing, and deep family-wide distress that they say has not faded.
  • The family supports the Mirror’s 'Save Lives for Sam' campaign, which is backed by national water-safety organisations and high-profile swimmers and urges school and social-media education aimed at preventing cold water shock and hidden open-water hazards, a push that could increase public outreach and pressure on government bodies to act.