THE HUSBAND of a Newquay woman who drowned trying to rescue a girl from a river in Trinidad broke down as he relived the ordeal at an inquest into her death.
Former police officer Terry Carne told Truro Coroner's Court yesterday how a trip to a beauty spot on the Caribbean island ended in tragedy on June 26, 2010.
Both his wife Vivienne, 45, and family friend Tamika Braithwaite, 13, died after the teenager found herself out of her depth and panicked, pulling Mrs Carne beneath the water.
Mr Carne said: "Tamika was a weak swimmer and she panicked. She was scared and she was desperate. Viv went straight to her aid."
The family, of Henver Road, had moved to Trinidad in 2008 after Mr Carne secured a post with the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT).
During the inquest it emerged they had booked flights and were due to return to the UK just two weeks after Mrs Carne's death.
Recounting the tragic events, Mr Carne said he and his wife had taken their two daughters, Lowenna and Kerenza, to the Three Pools on the Marianne River, in Blanchisseuse, as a post exam treat. They were also accompanied by Tamika and her mother and sister, Alicia and Tiffany.
He told the court that the natural pools formed by the river were not dangerous at that time of year.
"It was the end of the dry season," he said. "At that time the river was quite benign and there was very little flow in it. Viv had promised to take Tamika before we left the island."
Mrs Carne and the girls went for a dip at around 3pm, he said, but the children's playful shrieks quickly became panicked as they saw Tamika struggling, out of her depth.
"I asked my wife if she was ok and she said no," said Mr Carne. "I swam to Viv and Tamika and attempted to pull both towards the edge. Tamika was panicking and had her arms around Viv's neck, pulling her down."
Comforted by family members in the courtroom, he broke down as he described a moment when he too was pushed under the water, which was between seven and eight feet deep.
"When I was looking up from the bottom I was looking at Viv's face," he said. "I saw she was already face down in the water.
"When I pulled myself out both my daughters and Alicia were screaming. I was able to reach Viv and I pulled her to the side. I lifted her out of the water and onto the shore. I started CPR. I couldn't see Tamika, I think she sank into the water."
Mrs Braithwaite and the other girls ran to the road where there was better mobile phone coverage so they could call for help.
Mr Carne told a passing couple that there was a "child under the water" and they searched the pool, finding Tamika's body around half an hour later. An ambulance arrived shortly afterwards. Both Mrs Carne and Tamika were later pronounced dead.
Extending her condolences to Mr Carne and his family, coroner Emma Carlyon recorded a verdict of accidental death.
