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How plausible is this?

A guy named Karnell Kelly drowned in The Grand Union canal at Notting Hill recently during the Carnival and there's footage showing him splashing and then sinking. lots of people are asking why he couldn't stand up in the 3 ft deep water. the officer who jumps in appears to stand on the bottom and walk to him:

 
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Has anyone here fallen into a canal before? was it too slippery to stand on the bottom?

What is this obsession with standing in canals?

Yes, I've stood up in a couple of canals but didn't fall in. We were fishing, and not catching anything, and being young and stupid we jumped in and swam.

The bottom of a canal contains silt, not mud. It's very grainy. The boats carve out the channel in the middle and the silt gathers at the edge.

It's a strange feeling sinking in the silt but you can make your way to the edge and scramble out.

If you're that worried about falling off your bike and into the canal, make sure you wear a helmet. If you fall off without a helmet and hit your head on the edge on the way in, you could be in trouble.

In Bristol where I live there's a big floating harbour in town with high walls and many parts have no guard rail. People have fallen in and drowned and I reckon many of them hit their head on the way in.
 
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The bottom of a canal is usually puddle clay which originally was clay, puddled by men and horses tramping over it to form a contiguous waterproof layer and preventing the water draining away.
 
What is this obsession with standing in canals?

Yes, I've stood up in a couple of canals but didn't fall in. We were fishing, and not catching anything, and being young and stupid we jumped in and swam.

The bottom of a canal contains silt, not mud. It's very grainy. The boats carve out the channel in the middle and the silt gathers at the edge.

It's a strange feeling sinking in the silt but you can make your way to the edge and scramble out.

If you're that worried about falling off your bike and into the canal, make sure you wear a helmet. If you fall off without a helmet and hit your head on the edge on the way in, you could be in trouble.

In Bristol where I live there's a big floating harbour in town with high walls and many parts have no guard rail. People have fallen in and drowned and I reckon many of them hit their head on the way in.
Lots of stories of people drowning in canals only 3 to 4 ft deep and people commenting saying you can't stand up in a canal because the bottom is too slippery
 
In Bristol where I live there's a big floating harbour in town with high walls and many parts have no guard rail. People have fallen in and drowned and I reckon many of them hit their head on the way in.

As long as people like you refuse to face the truth, the Phantom Pusher will continue their reign of terror.

Also, the depth of the water is irrelevant if the crocodile gets you.
 
A guy named Karnell Kelly drowned in The Grand Union canal at Notting Hill recently during the Carnival and there's footage showing him splashing and then sinking. lots of people are asking why he couldn't stand up in the 3 ft deep water. the officer who jumps in appears to stand on the bottom and walk to him:


Maybe he has no legs?
 
I actually very nearly fell in to a canal once.

I was on a narrow boat walking up the side of it (which you are told not to do) my foot slipped but I managed to catch myself and grab the rail which runs along the top of the boat so only my foot dipped in, soaking my shoe.

I guess despite being a very good swimmer and ex lifeguard with open water/sea qualification, I very nearly died there.

I should tell any potential future grand kids about that, almost certainly more heroic than any war story.
 
So, OP, is this now enough to convince you to stop riding your bike next to the canal, with no helmet, at night, after going to the pub?
 
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