Dad forced to choose which twin would die

[AnthemZ]

Dad forced to choose which twin would die

By Luke Salkeld in London

June 18, 2008 02:32am





A GRIEVING father told an inquest yesterday how he was forced to make a "life and death" decision over which of his children to save when a family canoe trip turned to tragedy.

Television presenter Ian Clayton's nine-year-old daughter Billie died after their canoe capsized, throwing them into fast-flowing water, along with Billie's twin brother Edward.

Yesterday Mr Clayton, 48, spoke through tears as he told how he had been told by his son to save Billie first.

He desperately tried to lift the canoe clear but couldn't see Billie and was only able to grab on to Edward.

Buoyed by their lifejackets, Mr Clayton and his son were carried away by the strong current of the River Wye in Powys, Wales.

Yesterday he told the inquest into Billie's death: "When I got to Edward ... he said, 'Save my sister first'. It's hard to understand what was going through that little lad's mind."

Mr Clayton went on to explain the agonising decision he was forced to make.

He said: "It was a challenge for me. What twin to go for? Sometimes I dream that I saved Billie instead.

"I will never know if I made the right decision. Should I go for the one I can see and hope that later I can find the one I can't see? In the end I went for the one I could see."

He then told how he got Edward, who was clinging on to an overhanging branch, out of the water.

"It looked like he was body surfing because of the power of the water. I pulled him up and he nearly strangled me because he was holding on so tight," Mr Clayton said.

"I kept saying, 'You are going to be OK', but he kept saying, 'You are not going to let me die, are you Daddy?"'

The pair were met by an ambulance crew when they reached the river bank, as Mr Clayton had called the canoe company and told them to dial for help. However, an emergency operator warned him not to risk his life by jumping back in to save Billie.

"I was frightened to jump back in there. I will admit it. I'm not sure if I would have if that woman hadn't told me not to."

"The next time I saw Billie was in the operating theatre in the hospital.

"It is such a tragedy and people say that tragedy gets better with time. But it doesn't. The pain is still the same today, two years and two months after."

The trio, who were on holiday from their home in Featherstone, Yorkshire, had left the children's mother, Heather Parkinson, behind in nearby Hay-on-Wye on April 12, 2006.

They took a wrong turn and, as they tried to turn the canoe, a surge of water flipped it over.

Holding up a photo of his daughter yesterday, Mr Clayton said: "I want people to remember who we are talking about.

"This is Billie when she was eight and it is her last school photograph. Most people who look at it say 'What a beautiful girl'. She was a delight an absolute delight."

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Omg, that is horrible....It gave my chills to read...I couldn't imagine that