A young man has nearly died after stepping on what appeared to be a flat, grassy surface only to be consumed by the freezing water beneath.
Unable to swim, the 19-year-old man was left at the mercy of his friends who pulled him out of the water after he stepped onto the canal because it looked like it was covered in grass.
Following the incident which occurred in Walsall, England, the mother of the young man spoke out and claimed “something must be done” in order to prevent other people from falling into the canal.
“This could happen to anyone. Something needs to be done – or are they waiting for someone to fall in and die? I just thank God he came out, with the help of friends and a passer-by,” she said in an interview with Birmingham Live.
“I thought he was joking when he first told me. It gave him such a shock, it has left us all feeling shocked about what happened.”
Shortly after the teen’s misfortune, a father and his son also fell victim to the camo canal.
41-year-old Steve Worthington and 11-year-old son Lewis stepped onto the grass-looking surface covering the canal without a second doubt as they were strolling through the city.
According to the upset father who had to fight to keep his son’s head above the water level there were no warning signs around the canal.
“We just stepped straight in and went straight under the water. We have never been down there and we couldn’t see any warning signs in place. The whole area is thick green weeds – it looks just like grass and at night concrete,” the father told Birmingham Mail.
“The water was freezing cold and we must have gone under quite a few times, it was so scary. We must have been struggling for like five minutes.”
Following the incidents, Canal & River Trust spokesperson announced that “safety signs have been installed.”
“We are aware that there is a problem with an overgrowth of weed in the basin, which can make it seem as though the area is covered in thick grass, hiding the water underneath,” they wrote.
“Safety signs have been installed at the basin warning people of the danger. Removing the weed is an ongoing battle and there will be a team from Canal & River Trust out in the basin to clear sections of the weed in the next few days.”
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Replaced!