'I never thought my son would die before me - now I'm warning other parents'

21 July 2023 , 23:19

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Mum Vicky was dyeing her hair when she got a message to say Kalen was in trouble in the water in Salford Quays (Image: JustGiving)

A mum whose 16-year-old son died while swimming with friends on a hot summer day says she hopes others will learn from the tragedy.

Kalen Waugh drowned after getting into difficulty in very cold water at Ontario Basin at Salford Quays last July, an inquest in Bolton concluded.

Despite attempts to rescue him by friends and a member of the public who entered the water, he vanished under the water. His body was traced by fire crews using cameras a short time later. But Vicky had to wait overnight until her son's body was recovered and his death was confirmed.

Tributes to Kalen Waugh, 16, who died after getting into trouble in the water at Salford Quays on 16 July 2022 (MEN Media)

A few weeks later, Kalen's mum Vicky collected his GCSEs, which had secured him his dream place at college to study construction.

A year on from his death, mum Vicky revealed she still cannot enter his bedroom and has pleaded for other children to stay away from open water, reports the Manchester Evening News.

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Vicky, 33, said: "Kalen was my only son, I was a single mum and so we were inseparable. We did everything together. My recurring worry was how he'd cope if anything ever happened to me. Not for a moment did I think he would die first.

"He wasn't even planning to swim that day, but he was a strong swimmer and a fit young lad. If it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone. There were reports of him going under the surface, but his body was not recovered until early the following morning. I spent the night convincing myself it wasn't true, and hoping he would just walk through the door.

"It was torture. Even now, almost a year on, my life is a blur. I miss him so much and I have not been able to enter his bedroom. It is just as he left it. I just hope Kalen's legacy can be to educate other youngsters against the dangers of open-water swimming."

Vicky was just 15 when she fell pregnant with Kalen - and was supported by her mum Dawn and nan Sandra.

She added: "Kalen was a real live wire; he was always on the go, always full of energy. He had a really good heart too. He took my Nanna to see Mamma Mia at the cinema, even though it was his idea of hell, just to make her happy."

In 2018, Dawn died suddenly aged 48 and in 2020, Sandra died from cancer. Vicky added: "Their deaths hit us both hard, but if anything, we were even closer through our grief. I was proud of the way Kalen coped.

"After leaving school, he was hoping to go to college, to study construction, and we were waiting for his GCSE results. He was enjoying the summer, he loved our two dogs, Jasmine and Lola, and he went to the gym every day. He was a strong swimmer too."

At around 2pm on July 16, Kalen left the house to meet with his friends. Vicky said: "He didn't have swimming stuff and he didn't mention any plans to swim. I think it was most probably a spontaneous decision.

"I gave him some money and I caught him sneaking out with my new water flask, so we had the usual banter over that. It was just a normal afternoon."

Vicky was dyeing her hair when, at 6pm, she got a message to say Kalen was in trouble in the water in Salford Quays. She said: "I thought there was a mistake. I rushed down there, and it was busy, and I was sure it was all a misunderstanding. But then I got round the corner, and I saw police and ambulances.

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"I was told he'd gone under the water. I was frantic, screaming for him. A police officer took me home and I was told that a specialist team was needed to recover his body. I stared at my phone, all night, and I convinced myself it wasn't true. If there was no body, perhaps he'd got out? I kept lying to myself."

At 6.30am, Kalen's body was recovered. Vicky was taken to make the formal identification. He was later buried, along with Dawn and Sandra's ashes.

Vicky said: "Every day without him is so hard. It is some comfort to me that he is with my mum and grandmother, and they will be looking after him. After his death, I found out he'd passed his GCSEs and he had his place at college. It is such a tragic waste of a young life. I only hope his death will make other kids realise just how dangerous it is to swim in open water."

Ann Cusack