Boy, 10, Died from a 20-Foot Fall Down a Manhole. Authorities Now Say His Death Could Have ‘Been Avoided’

A 10-year-old boy tragically died in a horrifying accident after falling into a manhole at a construction site in Glasgow, Scotland in July 2020. Shéa Ryan lost his life due to “a head injury with drowning” as a result of the fall, which authorities now say could have been prevented. The incident occurred between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time on July 16, 2020, according to an official police report released on July 30, 2025.

The report details that Shéa, along with a group of other children, entered the construction site and discovered an open manhole with a ladder inside. In a tragic turn of events, Shéa attempted to climb down the ladder, but unfortunately slipped and fell approximately 20 feet to the bottom. Despite the efforts of the other children who searched for him and called for help, it was too late. Shéa’s stepfather and a neighbor found him unresponsive in several feet of water at the bottom of the manhole.

Efforts to resuscitate Shéa by the police were unsuccessful, and he was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:07 p.m. local time. The investigation revealed that during the time of the accident, the construction site was undergoing a transfer of ownership from Amey Black & Veatch (ABV) to RJ McLeod (Contractors) Limited (RJM). It was found that ABV had not adequately conveyed site risks to RJM during this transition period, and had not taken sufficient measures to prevent unauthorized access to the site.

Moreover, ABV employees had reportedly removed a heavy bag of building materials from the manhole days before the tragic incident, leaving it open and accessible without informing RJM. The lack of communication regarding prior trespassing incidents, including by children, further underscored the negligence on the part of ABV. The report indicated that if proper safety precautions and routine site checks had been implemented by both companies, Shéa’s death could have been avoided.

Despite attempts to reach out for comments, neither Amey Black & Veatch nor RJ McLeod (Contractors) Limited responded. The fatal accident inquiry (FAI) conducted by Sheriff Stuart Reid aimed to ascertain the circumstances surrounding Shéa’s death in an effort to prevent similar incidents in the future. It is important to note that an FAI focuses on learning from such tragedies and does not assign blame like in a criminal trial.

The findings of the inquiry prompted a £1.2 million fine for RJ McLeod in 2023 due to inadequate site security. Andy Shanks, from the Procurator Fiscal’s investigation team, expressed deep sympathy for Shéa’s family, acknowledging the profound impact of this tragic loss. The report and subsequent actions taken serve as a stark reminder of the importance of prioritizing safety measures to prevent such avoidable tragedies in the future.