Mother calls for change after daughter’s ‘preventable’ death at Penrith weir

Questions are being asked after a third boat in as many months flipped on a dangerous section of a Sydney river, just days after it claimed a young mum’s life.

Questions are being asked of the government after a third boat in as many months flipped on a dangerous section of a Sydney river, with two terrifying incidents happening just this week, one of which claimed the life of a young mum.

Camden mum Emily, 33, was on a boat with her fiance, their two children, and her father when it capsized at Penrith Weir on the Nepean River in Sydney’s west on January 26.

The family were eventually rescued but Emily was pulled from the water unconscious, dying a short time later.

Camden woman Emily died on Australia Day. Image: supplied

Then, just days later, on January 30, another family was left fighting for their lives after their boat overturned in the exact same spot.

Three adults and two children were winched to safety on Saturday afternoon after their aluminium tinny flipped over the weir.

Two adults – a 34-year-old man and 27-year-old woman – were taken to Nepean Hospital in a stable condition.

Two children – a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl – were taken to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in a stable condition.

After the rescue, NSW Ambulance Acting Inspector Peter Van Praag told The Western Weekender the kids were saved by their life jackets.

“When NSW Ambulance arrived five people were in the water being pulled under by the force of the water pouring over the weir, with one adult patient being struck between the boat and weir,” he said.

“We actually lost sight of the children at one point as they were getting pulled under the raging water. It was incredibly difficult for the people on scene, both the bystanders and emergency services to be confronted by this situation where they are helpless and unable to assist in the water.”

HAPPENING NOW: Emergency services are concluding a rescue operation after a boat with five people on board hit the weir...

Posted by The Western Weekender on Saturday, January 29, 2022

Speaking to 9 News, Emily’s mum Bev Warn said things needed to change.

“When I saw that accident yesterday, I thought, this has just got to be stopped, (Emily’s) death should have been plenty,” she said.

“The weir was invisible, I don‘t think people realise that.

“Without those buoys, no one has a chance to know it’s there.”

Calls are growing for the government to fix the weir, with locals saying bright yellow buoys that sat 100m upriver and warned of its location had not been replaced after they were washed away in last year’s floods.

The warning buoys that used were washed away in last year’s floods.

Penrith weir and its overflow. Picture: @lovleah1/Instagram

Ms Warn described her daughter’s death as preventable with another incident occurring back in November last year when two men had to be rescued from the same spot.

“(She had) the kindest most beautiful heart,” Ms Warn said, describing Emily as “full of life”.

This means three boats have overturned at Penrith Weir in less than three months.

The lack of warning buoys means boaters are caught by surprise on the river with the fast currents dragging their vessels towards the weir and causing it to flip over the side.

In a concerning twist, Water NSW, the authority responsible for the weir, admitted to noticing the buoys were damaged on January 25, the day before Emily died.

The realisation was made during a routine check however marine officers didn’t install temporary safety markers until yesterday, following the third incident.

NSW Water Minister Kevin Anderson was grilled over the lack of buoys, confirming they would be replaced by early next week.