Student drowned after leaving ambulance - inquest

A student was assessed by an ambulance crew hours before he died after falling into a river, a coroner has said.

Aryan Sharma, 20, was last seen out in Loughborough town centre in Leicestershire on 21 November, and into the early hours of 22 November.

The Loughborough University student was found by a member of the public lying in the street at 22:50 GMT. He was assessed by the crew and it was concluded he was intoxicated, "had mental capacity and had no significant traumatic injury" - but coroner Louise Pinder said "further interventions" should have been considered.

Sharma left the ambulance at 23:42, before getting lost in a car park and then falling into the "fast flowing" River Soar.

Leicestershire Police said a body was found on 14 December in the river at Normanton on Soar following a report from a member of the public.

Pinder, senior coroner for Rutland and North Leicestershire, ruled Sharma's death was an accident, and determined the medical cause of death was immersion in water whilst under the influence of alcohol.

A record of inquest document, published after the inquest hearing on Tuesday, said when Sharma - who was born in London - was found lying in the street by a member of the public, "it was unclear whether he had collapsed or fallen".

"He was assessed by the crew and it was concluded that he was intoxicated, that he had mental capacity and had no significant traumatic injury," Pinder wrote.

"Several clinical observations were outside normal parameters and further interventions - including assessment by a mental health clinician and hospital admission - should have been considered and discussed with Aryan. They were not.

"He left the ambulance at 23:42 without further observations being undertaken and continued walking around the town centre."

The police investigation concluded Sharma walked away from town, "becoming disorientated and lost" in a car park on Meadow Lane, before leaving the car park at 00:25 and then walking along Stanford Lane.

He walked on to a natural footpath through a dark field towards the River Soar, which was "high and fast flowing", and Sharma was swept away and died just after 01:18.

"There is no evidence that he placed himself in the water deliberately nor that there was third-party involvement," Pinder added.

Keeley Sheldon, director of quality at East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), said: "I am deeply sorry that we missed the opportunity to provide the right level of care to Aryan.

"HM Coroner was assured that EMAS has learnt from this sad death, and we have taken steps to prevent this happening in future.

"I recognise this comes too late for Aryan and his family, and my sincere condolences are with them."

Listen to BBC Radio Leicester on Sounds and follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.