Devastating scenes after jet ski crash kills 15yo Mitchell Irvine in Sylvania, Sydney
Friends have gathered at the scene where a teenage boy was killed and another seriously injured in an “innocent, tragic” jet ski crash.
Friends and classmates have gathered at the scene where two teenage boys riding a jet ski struck an object in the water, killing15-year-old Mitchell Irvine and severingthe arm of 14-year-old Noah Watkins.
The boys crashed in the Georges River near Tom Uglys Bridge in Sylvania in Sydney’s south shortly after 6pm on Tuesday.
Police were told a jet ski had likely crashedinto an “obstacle”, throwing individuals into the river.
Police foundMitchellin the water, but he could not be revived.
Noahwas treated at the scene for a severed arm before being taken to Sydney Children’s Hospital by NSW Ambulance paramedicsin a critical condition.
His condition has since been upgraded to stable, a Sydney Children’s Hospital spokesman confirmed to NewsWire.
On Wednesday, friends and classmates of the two boys gathered at the site of the crash, laying flowers at the edge of the water and paying respect to the teenagers.
Noah’s family friend Fred Nagi told reporters the two boys were “pretty experienced” jet skiers who got caught up in a “tragic accident”.
“Noah’s a beautiful kid,” Mr Nagi said.
“(He’s) always happy, always excited, always wants to have a bit of fun, enjoy himself. Noah’s sensible – a freak accident must have (taken) place.”
He said the sun had gone down when the boys hit the obstacle, adding there are “no lights” under the Tom Uglys bridge and they likely didn’t “realise” how dark the conditions were on the water.
“(It’s) dark under the bridge because sometimes you just don’t realise, ‘Oh, the sun’s going down, I better get back’, as you’re on the water having fun, fishing, riding with the boys,” Mr Nagi said.
“It’s an innocent, tragic, unfortunate mistake. They’ve hit the barge … there’s no lights on (the bridge).”
Mr Nagi said he frequently saw fishermen having “trouble getting in and out of the water because they just can’t see properly” and said lights needed to be installed to improve visibility.
“If you’re going to have a recreational area, have it safe,” he said, adding there wasn’t a “safety buoy to … throw in the water”.
“It’s all about safety and the kids listening to their parents,” he said.
“And the parents educating their kids because we don’t want this to happen again.”
Superintendent Donald Faulds said there was “a lot of debris” in the water following the incident, and he “main part” of the jet ski had not yet been recovered.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said the water was “very murky” and the conditions were “very, very scary” when the first responders arrived at the scene.
He said both the boys were wearing life jackets at the time of the crash.
“(This) may have been a contributing factor in one of the young persons surviving and staying afloat,” he said.
Constable Jesse Hockey, who was one of the first on the scene with paramedic Scott McNamara, stripped down to his “shirts and underwear” to retrieve the boys.
“It was cold,” he said. “It took a bit to get my breath back. (It was) cold, murky, dark – we couldn’t see much.”
Inspector Tim Carter told reporters the boys were riding the same jet ski at the time of the incident.
“Police were able to quickly enter the water with the help of NSW Ambulance and remove that boy to safety, where he received further treatment on the boat ramp,” he said.
“A further search of the area identified a second 15-year-old boy, deceased. The deceased was removed from the water, received further treatment, but was unable to be revived.
“At this stage, it would appear the jet ski has collided with an object or obstacle in the water, which has then thrown these two boys from the jet ski, where they have sustained these injuries.”
Witnesses Danielle and Anna told the ABC they were sitting at a boat ramp nearby when they saw a person screaming for help while dipping in and out of consciousness.
The pair called the ambulance, with Danielle adding two paramedics “ended up swimming out to get him and brought him back”.
“As they were bringing him back, he didn’t look conscious,” she told the outlet.
“We didn’t really see what happened, but they told us it was a crime scene and we had to leave.”
Inspector Carter said the first responding officers’ efforts to rescue the boys were “heroic”.
“The police have done their best to try and save these kids’ lives,” he said.
“We obviously feel great empathy towards the families.”
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