Wayne Taylor, 38, from Bishop Auckland, and Ian Pascoe, 62, from Peterlee, lost their lives on Sunday, July 12, after entering the sea to rescue a child swept out at Seaton Carew beach.
An inquest into their deaths opened on Tuesday, July 28, at Teesside Coroner's Court, sitting at Middlesbrough Town Hall. Area coroner for Teesside and Hartlepool, Paul Appleton, outlined the circumstances of the tragedy.
Emergency call and rescue attempt
Police were contacted at around 3.45pm by a caller reporting that their child had been swept out to sea and was in distress. "[The caller's] husband [Mr Taylor] had gone into the water to rescue the child," said the coroner.
The inquest heard that two children had been playing in the water when one was swept under by a wave and got into difficulty. "Mr Taylor and Mr Pascoe have entered into the water to attempt rescue of the child. A further male has also assisted and the child was retrieved from the water," said coroner Appleton.
Men did not resurface
However, Mr Pascoe and Mr Taylor did not resurface following the rescue of the child. At approximately 3.49pm, both men were still out at sea, barely visible to the naked eye, estimated to be some 50m to 75m from the shoreline.
By 4pm, the coastguard had arrived and both men were retrieved and brought to the boathouse at Hartlepool Marina, where they received treatment from the North East Ambulance Service. Tragically, both men were pronounced dead by paramedics. The provisional medical cause of death for both is drowning.
Community reaction and lifeguard calls
Floral tributes have been laid at the beach in honour of the men. Members of the public have called for an extension to the lifeguard presence at the beach, which currently operates only during the summer school holidays.
The coroner issued directions for further reports, clarification on lifeguard provisions, and dates for the next hearing.
Over the weekend, ChronicleLive launched a water safety awareness campaign on World Drowning Prevention Day, following several devastating fatalities in the region.
