A 12-year-old boy lay dying for two hours next to his heartbroken dad after they were crushed by a garage wall, it has been reported. Scott-Swaley Daniel Stevens and his father Scott were working in the garden when a wall attached to a house in Clacton, Essex, collapsed on top of them on Friday evening.
The pair were trapped under the rubble for two hours before the youngster's mum Charmaine Lee came outside to call them in for dinner and discovered the horror scene. Emergency services were alerted shortly before 7pm and firefighters were able to pull the schoolboy from the rubble, but he tragically died in the garden - speaking to his dad "until he took his last breath".
Scott-Swaley's devastated parents described him as a "well-loved boy" who "will be missed by so many" and said that "as a family, we cannot explain the hurt we feel and we are broken". As reported by the Mirror, family friend Scott Pepper, 47, added: "All I can really say is that father and son spent all their time when not working and [at] school together."
Police are not treating the incident as suspicious. A family tribute, released through Essex Police, said: "After a tragic accident, our son Scott-Swaley has sadly passed away. As a family, we cannot explain the hurt we feel and we are broken.
"Our Swaley was a well-loved boy who had friends not only in Clacton, but also in Dartford and Wickford and will be missed by so many. As a family, we would like to ask for privacy at this difficult time whilst we come to terms with our loss. We appreciate and would like to say thank you for all of the kind tributes to our boy."
Detective Inspector James Hardingham, leading the investigation, said: "My thoughts are with the family and friends of those concerned at this sad time. We're continuing our enquiries to establish the facts leading to the wall collapse."
Police are asking anyone who has information or who saw anything that could help the investigation to make contact. The house the garage was attached to has been made safe.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service station manager Nick Singleton has also said that "our thoughts are with everyone who knew the child as well as the wider Clacton community".
He added: "Our firefighters worked incredibly hard to save both casualties and this is never the outcome we want to see. We will be offering further support to all of the firefighters who attended this difficult incident."
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