last family pic, l-r Debs, Clive, siblings Katie, Todd, Emily

Trending Trident Theresa May Nice terror attack Pokemon GO Weather

Heartbroken dad shares final text from daughter 'predicting' her death hours before tragic accident

12:48, 27 Jul 2016
Updated 14:34, 27 Jul 2016
By Nicola Oakley , Rosa McMahon

The 14-year-old drowned when a speedboat capsized, trapping her underneath the water

A father mourning the death of his 14-year-old daughter has shared the heartbreaking final text message he received from her - and believes it was "some sort of premonition".
Emily Gardner sent her dad a message containing two emojis - a wave and a sleeping face - just hours before she died in a tragic speedboat accident.
Clive, 44, said: "It was the very last time I heard from Emily.
"Now I think it was some sort of premonition. It felt so strange to me. I'm not a superstitious person but after what happened, the text makes sense to me."
Emily died during the May Bank Holiday last year while on a trip to Brixham in south Devon with her best friend and another pal.

Emily's last text to dad Clive — Clive believes Emily's last text was 'some sort of premonition'

Clive and his wife Debbie, who have two surviving children, are now calling for 'Emily's Law' to help prevent further tragedies by tightening restrictions on privately-owned boats and stronger maritime regulations.
Their daughter drowned after becoming trapped beneath the party's boat - driven by her best friend's dad, Paul Pritchard - when it overturned after hitting a powerful wave, believed to have been 6ft tall.
"Emily was desperate to go away so we gave in," mum Debbie said.
"It sounded like they were going to have a fun weekend, and as our family didn't have much planned, we let her go."

The boat left Brixham Harbour at about 11.30am on May 2, but overturned when it hit a wave shortly after entering open water.
One of the buoyancy aid's straps became caught on the cleat of the speedboat, where ropes are attached, holding Emily underneath it.
Paul and the two other girls escaped, but lifeboat crews couldn't free Emily for another 25 minutes.
Attempts to revive her at Torbay Hospital failed.

Debbie added: "We've been robbed of watching our little girl grow up, of celebrating her 16th birthday this year and going to her prom.
"If we'd known there were no laws covering leisure crafts then we would never have let Emily go.

Emily Gardner — Emily was just 14 when she drowned on a boat trip

"This is every parent's nightmare – but we're determined to keep her memory alive."
The inquest jury in Torquay in June found Emily died after her "ill-fitting" buoyancy aid became entangled on one of the speedboat's cleats.
Ian Arrow, Coroner for Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon, reached a narrative conclusion.
The family's lawyer Richard Langton, from Slater and Gordon, said: "To lose a child is horrific for any parent, but to lose one in such avoidable circumstances has been very difficult for the Gardners to bear.

"It beggars belief that there is no legal requirement for all passengers, especially children, to wear a properly fitting life jacket or any life jacket at all, and that drivers of powerful speedboats don't require training and a licence.
"That is why Slater and Gordon would urge people to support the Gardners in supporting their bid to bring in Emily's Law, so tragedies like this never happen again."

Wednesday, 27 July 2016