Latest news with #JacobRutkowski
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
County Durham mum who lost son, 14, in river tragedy re-issues water safety plea
The mum of a County Durham teenager who lost his life in a river tragedy has reissued an urgent warning about water safety following the death of a man in the River Tees. The death of 20-year-old Jacob Rutkowski from Darlington on Friday (June 20) has reminded mum-of-four Fiona Gosling from Crook of her own heartbreak. Fiona's son Cameron was just 14-years-old when he jumped into the River Wear near Bishop Auckland on July 5, 2015, unaware of any risks he would face in the water. Cameron Gosling, 14. Cameron's heart stopped beating when he entered the river, because he had not acclimatised to the temperature and he died of what is known as cold water shock. Since his passing, Fiona has used Cameron's story to educate thousands of children about water safety - but has admitted that this latest incident in Gainford, near Darlington, has reminded her of her own grief. Fiona told The Northern Echo: "I saw the story online yesterday when it all started to evolve, and watched it happen. I tend to do that if something big is going on. "Then, it was about 10.55pm when I saw the post go up from police saying they had found a body." Mother Fiona and son Cyle Gosling who campaign for Cold Water safety. She added: "As soon as you hear about anything like this, it takes you right back to where you were when it happened to you. "It makes me sit down and go through all of Cameron's things and I'll go on my social media page to see if there is anything I can share. "But it is hard - it's really hard." News first broke of an incident in Gainford yesterday when the air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews all rushed to the rural village at about 2.30pm. LIVE: Tributes paid to Jacob Rutkowski after River Tees tragedy - updates Police cordoned off an area where ambulance incident response teams and the fire service water unit parked up, blocking access to the river banks after reports of concerns for a man in the river. Fiona Gosling delivering a school assembly. Tragically, Durham Police later confirmed that they had found a body in the river. Tributes have since been paid to Jacob Rutkowski; described as a "beautiful soul" as his family try to raise funds to pay for his send off. But this latest tragedy has made Fiona, 48, worry that her pleas to stay safe in the water are going unheard. She added: "I do tend to just sit back and think, have we missed something? You do tend to feel a little bit guilty and think: 'is your message not getting out to the right people?'"? "This is something that can be avoided. As soon as the heatwaves start, I can just sense what is going to happen. "I always think that it's going to be a very long few months and we'll see so many tragedies not only with youngsters but people in general who aren't aware of what is going on around them in the water." Cameron Gosling, 14. Fiona then re-issued a plea to anyone thinking of taking a dip to cool down this summer - regardless of their age or experience in the water. She said: "Know your points of entry and points of exit - and never go swimming on your own. If you are swimming and you feel something isn't right, you know your own body. Read more: Rivers deaths fall after campaign in memory of teenager Cameron Gosling Mum honoured for water safety campaign after death of son Cameron Gosling Mum warns schoolchildren of cold water shock on anniversary of her son Cameron Gosling's tragic river death Young footballers' tribute to Cameron Gosling Friends of river tragedy teenager Cameron Gosling make hard hitting water safety campaign video "I would love to say to people 'don't go in the water', but we live in a country that is surrounded by water. I do want to stay away, but I know that's never going to happen. "The water is going to be cold - just because we have hot weather does not mean the water is going to be warm. "Watch out for everyone around you. Be aware that water does not discriminate. "It will take old, young, swimmer, non-swimmer - it does not care. You have to be really careful."
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Tragedy as man, 20, found dead in village river on hottest weekend of the year
The last few days have seen Brits hit with sweltering heat blasts with some parts of the UK hitting 33C- but a dip in a river to cool off turned into tragedy for 20-year-old Jacob Rutkowski A family have paid tribute to their 20-year-old son who was found dead in their village river this week. It is understood that on Friday, June 20 Jacob Rutkowski was at the river Tees in County Durham when the tragedy took place. It is believed he entered the water in Gainford but began to struggle, sparking a huge emergency response. After a 999 call was made at around 2.30pm the air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews all rushed to the rural village. Drones and rescue dogs were also used in the search in a desperate bid to save Jacob. Despite their best efforts Jacob was unable to be saved and several hours later police Durham Police confirmed that they had pulled a body from the river. Their statement on Friday night read: "We're sorry to report that a body has been found in the river at Gainford this evening. It is believed a 20-year-old man had entered the water this afternoon and got into difficulty. "Formal identification has yet to take place but the man's family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. We would like to thank all our emergency services partners for their assistance." While police have yet to formally identify the body as the 20-year-old from from Darlington, County Durham, a GoFundMe page set up by Jacob's loved ones suggests it was Jacob. The page was set up to raise funds for his funeral and a heartbreaking message shared to the page read: "As many of you have already heard, our family experienced the unimaginable. This devastating loss has left our entire family heartbroken beyond words. He was a son, a brother, a loving boyfriend — and above all, a beautiful soul taken far too soon. "We are raising funds to help with funeral and memorial costs, and to support the family during this painful time. Anything you can give will help ease the burden and allow us to focus on grieving and honouring his memory. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts." The last few days have seen Brits hit with sweltering heat blasts reaching well above the average for the time of year, with the southeast blasted with 33.2C on Saturday. And when temperatures reach highs of 30C it's easy to see why people take a dip in their local river or lake. This week marks Drowning Prevention Week, and in a bid to raise awareness of water safety risks the London Fire Brigade (LFB) is increasing engagement with communities. LFB has attended more than 280 water-related incidents this year so far, an increase of about 15% compared with the same period in 2024, it said. They have included incidents such as sinking and capsized boats, individuals trapped in mud or caught by the tide, and people and animals in distress in the water. Fifteen incidents resulted in people drowning in London, the fire brigade said. For advice on what to do if you get into difficulty in the water visit the RNLI website by clicking here.
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
Family pay touching tribute to ‘beautiful soul' son, 20, who died after getting into difficulty while swimming
Friends have also praised the 'lovely' and 'caring young lad' for having a 'heart of gold' RIVER TRAGEDY Family pay touching tribute to 'beautiful soul' son, 20, who died after getting into difficulty while swimming Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE family of a boy who died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a river have paid tribute to their "beautiful soul" son. Jacob Rutkowski, 20, from Darlington, County Durham, is understood to have began to struggle after entering the River Tees in Gainford on Friday afternoon. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Tributes have poured in for Jacob Rutkowski, 20, following his death Credit: North News and Pictures 2 The young man died after getting into difficulty in the River Tees at Gainford on Friday afternoon Credit: Alamy Despite a huge emergency response to try to rescue the young man - including the deployment of an air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews - he tragically died. Now, Jacob's family has released a touching tribute as part of a fundraiser to help support the family. The GoFundMe page reads: "As many of you have already heard, our family experienced the unimaginable. "This devastating loss has left our entire family heartbroken beyond words. "He was a son, a brother, a loving boyfriend — and above all, a beautiful soul taken far too soon." The family explained they were raising funds to help with funeral and memorial costs, as well as to support the family "during this painful time". They added: "Anything you can give will help ease the burden and allow us to focus on grieving and honouring his memory. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts." At time of writing, Jacob's GoFundMe has already raised more than £1,650, helping it towards its goal of £4,500. At around 2.30pm on Friday, emergency crews had rushed to the small rural village of Gainford at around to try to save Jacob. A British 45-year-old woman drowns at a Lanzarote beach Police cordoned off an area where ambulance incident response teams and the fire service water unit parked up - both blocking access to the river banks. Drones were also seen flying above the river while dogs patrolled the ground to help rescue Jacob. Tragically, however, Durham Police eventually confirmed it had found a body in the river. In a statement on Friday, cops said: "We're sorry to report that a body has been found in the river at Gainford this evening. "It is believed a 20-year-old man had entered the water this afternoon and got into difficulty. "Formal identification has yet to take place but the man's family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. "We would like to thank all our emergency services partners for their assistance." 'I JUST CAN'T GET OVER IT' Other tributes to Jacob have also poured in, describing the 20-year-old as having a "heart of gold". One friend wrote: "Such a caring young lad honestly, sending my love and thoughts to the family. "I just can't get over it, he was so lovely. Breaks my heart, forever 20." Another said: "Absolutely heartbroken for my friend and her family. Life is just so precious." A third wrote: "What a lad. He was taken way to soon."
The Sun
12 hours ago
- The Sun
Family pay touching tribute to ‘beautiful soul' son, 20, who died after getting into difficulty while swimming
THE family of a boy who died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a river have paid tribute to their "beautiful soul" son. Jacob Rutkowski, 20, from Darlington, County Durham, is understood to have began to struggle after entering the River Tees in Gainford on Friday afternoon. 2 2 Despite a huge emergency response to try to rescue the young man - including the deployment of an air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews - he tragically died. Now, Jacob's family has released a touching tribute as part of a fundraiser to help support the family. The GoFundMe page reads: "As many of you have already heard, our family experienced the unimaginable. "This devastating loss has left our entire family heartbroken beyond words. "He was a son, a brother, a loving boyfriend — and above all, a beautiful soul taken far too soon." The family explained they were raising funds to help with funeral and memorial costs, as well as to support the family "during this painful time". They added: "Anything you can give will help ease the burden and allow us to focus on grieving and honouring his memory. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts." At time of writing, Jacob's GoFundMe has already raised more than £1,650, helping it towards its goal of £4,500. At around 2.30pm on Friday, emergency crews had rushed to the small rural village of Gainford at around to try to save Jacob. Police cordoned off an area where ambulance incident response teams and the fire service water unit parked up - both blocking access to the river banks. Drones were also seen flying above the river while dogs patrolled the ground to help rescue Jacob. Tragically, however, Durham Police eventually confirmed it had found a body in the river. In a statement on Friday, cops said: "We're sorry to report that a body has been found in the river at Gainford this evening. "It is believed a 20-year-old man had entered the water this afternoon and got into difficulty. "Formal identification has yet to take place but the man's family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. "We would like to thank all our emergency services partners for their assistance." 'I JUST CAN'T GET OVER IT' Other tributes to Jacob have also poured in, describing the 20-year-old as having a "heart of gold". One friend wrote: "Such a caring young lad honestly, sending my love and thoughts to the family. "I just can't get over it, he was so lovely. Breaks my heart, forever 20." Another said: "Absolutely heartbroken for my friend and her family. Life is just so precious." A third wrote: "What a lad. He was taken way to soon."
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Family pay touching tribute to ‘beautiful soul' son, 20, who died after getting into difficulty while swimming
THE family of a boy who died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a river have paid tribute to their "beautiful soul" son. Jacob Rutkowski, 20, from Darlington, County Durham , is understood to have began to struggle after entering the River Tees in Gainford on Friday afternoon. Advertisement 2 Tributes have poured in for Jacob Rutkowski, 20, following his death Credit: North News and Pictures 2 The young man died after getting into difficulty in the River Tees at Gainford on Friday afternoon Credit: Alamy Despite a huge emergency response to try to rescue the young man - including the deployment of an air ambulance, mountain rescue crews, police helicopter, paramedics and fire crews - he tragically died. Now, Jacob's family has released a touching tribute as part of a fundraiser to help support the family. The GoFundMe page reads: "As many of you have already heard, our family experienced the unimaginable. "This devastating loss has left our entire family heartbroken beyond words. Advertisement Read More on UK News "He was a son, a brother, a loving boyfriend — and above all, a beautiful soul taken far too soon." The family explained they were raising funds to help with funeral and memorial costs, as well as to support the family "during this painful time". They added: "Anything you can give will help ease the burden and allow us to focus on grieving and honouring his memory. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts ." Advertisement Most read in The Sun At time of writing, Jacob's At around 2.30pm on Friday, emergency crews had rushed to the small rural village of Gainford at around to try to save Jacob. A British 45-year-old woman drowns at a Lanzarote beach Police cordoned off an area where ambulance incident response teams and the fire service water unit parked up - both blocking access to the river banks. Drones were also seen flying above the river while dogs patrolled the ground to help rescue Jacob. Advertisement Tragically, however, Durham Police eventually confirmed it had found a body in the river. In a statement on Friday, cops said: "We're sorry to report that a body has been found in the river at Gainford this evening. "It is believed a 20-year-old man had entered the water this afternoon and got into difficulty. "Formal identification has yet to take place but the man's family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. Advertisement "We would like to thank all our emergency services partners for their assistance." 'I JUST CAN'T GET OVER IT' Other tributes to Jacob have also poured in, describing the 20-year-old as having a "heart of gold". One friend wrote: "Such a caring young lad honestly, sending my love and thoughts to the family. "I just can't get over it, he was so lovely. Breaks my heart, forever 20." Advertisement Another said: "Absolutely heartbroken for my friend and her family. Life is just so precious." A third wrote: "What a lad. He was taken way to soon."
