I was looking into facts around falling into open water...
MYTH #1: Falling into cold water kills you because your wet clothes pull you down.
Fact: Wet clothes only weigh you down when you’re getting out of the water. This concept that clothes aren’t heavy in the water is often difficult for people to understand unless they have experienced it themselves. Advanced lifesaving training and some military training involves learning to stay afloat and swim for long periods of time fully clothed, including shoes. My experience in doing that proved to me that my clothing and shoes actually helped me to float, as long as I didn’t use any swim strokes above the water surface. Of course, wearing a life jacket increases your chances of surviving even more.
MYTH #2: People drown because they don’t know how to swim.
Fact: Most people think that swimmers never drown, but research proves that most people who drown were perceived to know how to swim. Falling into cold water causes an involuntary gasp reflex and you could possibly inhale water and drown. Also, it’s a struggle to gain control of your breathing. Hyperventilating in this first stage of cold-water immersion can cause you to blackout and drown. To survive after falling into cold water, you must remain calm, avoid panicking, and stop hyperventilating within the first minute. There is a technique that may help prevent hyperventilation and it involves breathing out through pursed lips. The first minute after you fall into cold water can be challenging, even for strong swimmers.
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By R.J. Garren
www.dvidshub.net
I think it is obviously a possibility that she did unfortunately fall in. But with multiple witnesses having seen her, and more than one who knew her at least knew of her, I find it really surprising that:
1. She could've drowned so quickly without anyone noticing. Although a secluded area it was obviously a popular walking spot.
2. Say she has sadly drowned, perhaps if she was unconscious before going in... It's even more surprising that after more than a week there has been no evidence of her falling in. Not even her wellies have been found after extensive searches by highly trained water search teams who know where to look and where they would expect a missing person who has fallen in the river to end up. I can only imagine the turmoil her family are going through going over and over every possibility.