Young woman who died in River Thames boat accident may have not be wearing life jacket

Charlotte Brown died when a speedboat capsized whilst on a date.

24-year-old Charlotte Brown, known as Charli, died when the speedboat she was taking a river trip on in the night capsized last Tuesday, 7 December.

Ms Brown was on a date with a 29-year-old man she had met online the previous month. The pair had gone out for a meal at a restaurant in the Shard building in London before the speedboat ride.
The date turned into tragedy when the couple were thrown overboard into the River Thames near Wandsworth Bridge in south-west London.

Locals heard the screams coming from the river and called The Metropolitan Police’s Marine Support Unit, a helicopter and the coastguard at around 11.45pm.

The pair were rescued but the business development consultant was pronounced dead at 01.55am. Her companion has since been discharged from hospital.

It is thought that Charli Brown, who lived in East Finchley but was originally from Welling, had not been wearing a life jacket.
Her sister Katie said: “‘She was the type of girl who lived life to the full and she was probably excited to tell us about this adventure.
“Even the best swimmer in the Thames at this time of year, with the current conditions and the cold, I don’t see many people standing a chance without a life jacket. We don’t know exactly what happened. If she was wearing a life jacket there is a chance she could still be here today.”

The 24-year-old’s mother, Roz Wickens from Clacton-On-Sea said: “I am so totally devastated I can’t put it into words, but when people see what a beautiful woman she is, they will know how everyone loved her, she touched so many hearts. This is the worst thing I have ever had to do in my life, it is so terrible”.

The police are not treating the accident as suspicious.