It had started out the perfect summers day, with families pick-nicking on the banks of the river Avon just outside Bristol, but the peace was about to be rudely broken.
Up on the pipeline bridge spanning the river, a shrieking trio of teenagers visited the scene. The brothers were looking for trouble and noticed that workmen had left a stack of concrete blocks at the south side of the bridge. The youngest, Max, a chaotic thirteen year old with a bush of wiry hair that bristled like rusted wire, was always eager to impress his elder brothers, and thought,
‘I’ll chuck one of the blocks in the river, it’ll make a wicked splash.’
The brothers watched as Max struggled with the block.
“You’ll never lift that over the railings, let me help.” The eldest called.
“No, I can do it,” Max replied.
“Oh, go on then big shot.”
True to his word, Max dragged the block towards the railing, his muscles straining until he’d eventually lifted it onto the edge. He balanced it briefly, as if unsure now. Then turning round to his brothers, let out a triumphant roar that echoed across the water, alerting the audience on the bank. He gave one final push, but for a brief moment the block seemed caught, as if refusing to go along with the prank. Then it was in the air, accelerating like a dive bomber aiming to blow a hole in the glassy face of the river.
The block met the surface with a mighty smack, sending up a vertical spout of water like a depth charge, producing large ripples that raced to meet the shore, alarming people sitting on the banks.
“This’ll set the cat amongst the pigeons,” said the elder brother.
Having captured everyone’s attention, Max announced,
“I’m gonna climb that centre support, just watch me.”
“Don’t be a fool,” said the brother, worrying things were getting out of hand.
But before he could be stopped, Max was hoisting himself up like spiderman in a fearless display of foolhardiness. Then half way up, a jagged steel edge caught on his jeans pocket halting his progress. As he went to release himself he lost his footing. This time there was no triumphant shout, more of a haunting scream, “Ahhhhhhhh!” as he plummeted down.
Unlike the concrete block there was no hesitation, it was sudden like a mountaineer torn off a sheer rockface by the cruel wind. Max entered the depths of the flowing river where he’d soon be in a fight for his life.
Though a warm summers day the water was extremely cold. The shock of hitting the water, along with the freezing temperature took Max’s breath away as he disappeared beneath the surface. He’d been learning to swim but could only manage a few strokes and knew that this time trouble really had found him.
Up on the bridge, his brothers who were good swimmers were racing down to help. They ripped off their jackets and shoes and dived in off the bank, desperately trying to catch up with Max who was already more than a hundred yards down-stream in the fast flowing central stretch of the river, wildly thrashing his arms, coughing and spluttering and tiring from the effort. The brothers were struggling to get any closer to Max who was now heading straight for the weir.
On the bank, horrified people reached for their phones, calling the emergency services but it was all happening so quickly. The boy was now half submerged and no longer shouting for help. His brothers tried to catch up but the river was winning the grim race, with the weir now only yards away, waiting to welcome the boy and send him over its slippery wall.
Had he been strong enough to hold on this side of the weir there might have been a chance but the river was swollen from a week of heavy rain and with Max by now barley conscious there was no way to stop the inevitable. The force of the flow sent him over and the brothers only just managed to swim to the shore in time. Everyone knew the danger of falling into the other side of the weir, where the strong, boiling currents could suck you under and hold you to the river bed like a magnet.
It would not be till the following day that divers recovered Max’s body, after lowering the water level by diverting some of the flow and the brothers lives changed forever.