I really am sorry for his loss but I doubt the father would have heaped praise on them if they did cut his leg and he died of infection/shock. Probably would have berated the same services for giving up too early and taking the "easy" way out.

Emergency services cannot possibly think of everything, otherwise there'd be no need for them.

Also what type of drain was it, oh it was a "makeshift metal drain" which implies any number of things, not least who put it in instead of getting a conventional drain installed. It's not (and never is) as simple as another episode of 24.

They are damned if they act, damned if they don't. It's wonderful enough people actually volunteer to do these jobs.

Justin, London,

I know how firefighters, family and friends are feeling right now. The aftermath of any failed rescue attempt is a fertile place for those with 20 - 20 hindsight. The firefighters will be sick to their stomachs that their hard work ,skill and ingenuity did not bring forth the desired result; they will be gutted - and they will never forget it.. Those who knew and loved the victim will be angry , heartbroken and frustrated that he lost his battle for life whilst the rescue services could not deliver his life, and will need answers to their questions about how the rescue did not work. Those like "pootle" are no more than voyuers. How dare you belittle the efforts of the rescue crews. I know they would have done their utmost. I can only hope that "pootle" never has to make the kind of desparate decisions that the rescuers had to make that day. However I am sure that he or she knows all the "facts" just from reading the comments of an understanably distraught parent.

Ian Simpkins, Offley Hay, Staffordshire

The emergency workers are selfless, they risk their lives everyday sometimes when people have been stupid. Of course I am not suggesting that Mike was one of them but this really is very unfortunate. Thank God that he died of hypothemia instead of drowning and I sympatize with his dad and family. But I think it is unfair to blame the emergency workers. Just think they have to live with the horrible event, also knowing that they failed to save him. Cutting his leg off would of course kill him from bleeding to death and also the unimaginable pain of the procedure. It is always easy to know how to solve the problem after the event, but at the time, I believe is not so easy. It does not happen every day that you can practise. This is just very tragic and sad for all concern . Sometimes, there really is no one to blame.

Virginia, brisbane, Australia

Could he have been wrapped in rubber sheeting? A layer of water around him would be warmed by his body or could be filled with warm water. It could have been done with lateral thinking - ie. the thinking of a medical person, some divers, etc. More and more we are realizing the limits of emergency services which can be expanded with cross-trianing, all-purpose and all-scenario manuals involving several disicplines. Hindsight is always 20-20. My heart goes out to the young man's family. They can take solace in the obvious fact that the firefighters did their very best at considerable discomfort to themselves and can now plan for such a rescue in the future, using this experience. Young men need to be more alert, but often are not.

Em Hawthorne, Ottawa, CAN

Is this an example of our litiginous society ; where no-one wants to make a brave decision in case they get sued? Follow the protocol, fill in the feedback forms , instead of use your inititiative.

Laurie , Shropshire , UK

My sympathies are with the rescue workers who now face this disgraceful challenge to their integrity.
People die in accidents all the time, and this was a very unusual and trying situation.
To accuse the workers of allowing him to die like this is beyond contempt.

Paul Michaels, Cusco, Peru

Whilst Mr Barnett is naturally angry in grief, it seems unfair to say the emergency services did nothing, when from the sounds of reports they did actually try. surely the family have to at least acknowledge that their son had a choice about going down into the drain in the first place. A tragic accident, not an opportunity to blame the people that sought to help.

E Broadbent, Salford, UK

I think Brits and Canadians fail to get medical personnel on the scene who would quickly spot a hypothermia problem. In the US, interns are sent out in ambulances to rescue scenes and auto accicents as a matter of course. It provides good training and saves lives. Other countries including Britain and Canada should implement this 'best practrice.'

Em Hawthorne, Ottawa, Canada

No, but, yeah, but, no, but yeah.

James Stafford, Zamboanga, Philippines

This is a warning to everyone, if you are going to fix something fix it properly. OK someone covered the drain with a piece of fencing as a temporary measure to prevent people or cars being injured or damaged by falling in the drain. But a piece of fencing is not a drain cover. It should remind us all of the dangers we face once something is bodged rather than fixed properly. Instead of shouting each other and trying to place the blame here there or anywhere, everybody should learn their lesson and have any temporary repairs in their home or workplace fixed properly.

Martin, Barnsley, S Yorkshire

maybe there were too many professional people trying take charge and common sense should have prevailed. His father was stopped from going to the scene and l am sure he would have told the rescurers to break his leg. We are made of tough stuff in Hull. I fell so sad for his father and want to say that we are all thinking of him.

Max, Hull,

Whilst Mr Barnett is naturally angry in grief, it seems unfair to say the emergency services did nothing, when from the sounds of reports they did actually try. surely the family have to at least acknowledge that their son had a choice about going down into the drain in the first place. A tragic accident, not an opportunity to blame.

E Broadbent, Salford, UK

It is unbelievable that this man was left to die. I entirely agree that with his father. The firemen clearly failed in their duty in a time of crisis. One can only assume there was a gross lack of leadership with no one prepared to make the unpalatable though potentially lifesaving decision of amputating the man's leg. Instead they left him to die. Shame!

John, Winchester,

This isn't rocket science. How can this fire captain possibly say that he is "proud" of a rescue effort that resulted in the easily preventable death of the victim? With all the facilities of a modern rescue team at hand, they allowed the victim to die of hypothermia after 4 - get this, 4 hours! - of ineffective efforts, in a readily accessible drain behind a commercial building? When the victim has died of hypothermia while you had him in your hands for 4 hours, how do you declare that to be heroic? That is incompetence to the Nth degree. Yes, these blokes will have to live with the guilt and shame of their abject failure, despite whatever noble motives they may have had. That is sad. But still sadder, is the unnecessary loss of life, and the terrible loss suffered by the family . Some one rescuer should have taken the responsibility, and resolved firmly, "I'm not letting him die in here today." If anyone had taken that decision, he'd be alive now.

Digger, Miami, FL, USA

I don't think any of the comments above reflect any operational experience within a rescue environment. The emergency services risked their lives that night. Whilst it was a tradgedy and some aspects were badly handled people in their centrally heated homes must realise that the UK does, occasionally also suffer from severe weather events and natural disasters kill people as surely as technoligical disasters or terrorism.

Heat the water? - Please, how exactly, light a fire, immersion heater?

Amputate his leg? - preferably a below knee amputation to give him some hope of a largely unrestricted life but perform that under nearly 5ft of water? OK and how is the doctor going to do that in freezing, swirling filthy opaqe water? Yes possibly the fire and rescue service could have done it with hydraulic jaws or a reciprocating saw but you are then left to hope that traumatic amputation and extreme cold help control his bleeding and shock.

With thanks to all emergency services

charles blanch, Wellington, NZ

Surely life without a foot would have been better then no life. Am a bit shocked that proactive action was not taken before this man died

Bren, Buxton, DERBYSHIRE

I appreciate that the father is grief-stricken, but it seems unfair and ungrateful to lash out at the emergency services who tried so hard to free his son in the most appalling conditions and at considerable risk to themselves. This was a one in a million situation and it's unrealistic to expect there to have been procedures and equipment in place to deal with it. It's easy to criticise with hindsight, and it's also easy for someone with no grasp at all of the operational reality of a situation to suggest all manner of ways it could have been handled better. Sadly the fact is that sometimes there just isn't going to be a happy ending, and this was one of those times.

Emma, Cambridge, UK

They had time to get him oxygen and they had time to get him warmth. They could have kept him alive. They failed....

Jan, London, UK

could you think of the effects and criticisms that would have occured if they had cut his foot off

stuart park, freetown,

"It seems shocking that, faced with the certainty of him drowning, the decision was made not to amputate his foot in case he got infected and died."

Well if you read the article he didn't drown, rather he died of hypothermia.

tony, London,

It's so easy and perhaps a little rash to pass judgement without knowing the full facts. How many times a day do members of the Emmergency Services put thier own lives at risk in an attempt to save others?

Dave, Glos,

I understand that the man has just lost a son. But how could the emergency service workers be prepared for every type of bizzare incident that occur during floods?

These rescue folks are out there every time that people are in harm's way regularly putting their own lives on the line, while often rescuing people who are their own worst enemies.

These workers are human with emotions and they have to live with the thought of that man dying in their arms and the contradicting thoughts of perhaps having done this or that. They were working hard and yes, they were probably arguing about methods too. But, to say that they "just let him die" is a sad thing to say and I will write it off to bereavement.

Jim, Oak Park, Illinois

Why didnt anyone bring a scuba tank or 3, and a wetsuit/dive vest? He could have remained there reasonably ok until the grate was cut.
On the other hand, giving the guy some painkillers, then breaking/crushing his ankle to allow it to pull out could have been a reasonable move also.
It seems shocking that, faced with the certainty of him drowning, the decision was made not to amputate his foot in case he got infected and died.

Aidan, California, USA

The fire brigade are equipped with hydraulic shears which can cut through cars - what happened? did they forget to bring one and couldn't be bothered to go back for it? or was the piece of fence stronger than a car? I read that they were just about to amputate the foot when he died - did it take them four hours to make that decision? Incompetence, pure and simple.

Marco, bhm, UK

Was there no way to errect a temporary/inflatable wall and pump the water out to buy some more time for example.

Peter, Hamburg,

This article is very sad and confirms what everyone said to me about it. Why didn't they amputate his leg or try and heat the water around him? Surely there MUST have been more they could have done ? It seems crazy that they all were there and he died anyway. Many condolences to his family and I hope the emergency services learn some valuable lessons from this tragedy - it seems they have much to learn.

pootle, london, UK