A grandfather has died after rushing into the sea to save his nine-year-old granddaughter in Cornwall. Phil Crow, 68, was at Tregirls Beach near Padstow on bank holiday Monday with his granddaughter Sia Briskham and his wife, Tina.
A sudden change in the tide swept Sia and Tina further out to sea. Mr Crow suffered a cardiac arrest in the water after going to their aid. Both Sia and Tina were rescued by members of the public; Tina was picked up by a passing boat and checked over by paramedics.
Tina described how her husband pushed Sia to safety but could not save himself. 'He was shouting at her to lay on her back but she couldn’t stand, he pushed her to safety, but doing so meant he couldn’t get back himself,' she told the Daily Mail. Another grandson, Nate, 12, shouted for help from the shore.
Mr Crow, a retired stonemason and lifelong Padstow resident, was known to many of the emergency services who tried to save him. Tina added that the family had been visiting the beach for 50 years because it is the 'safest' in the area. 'He always told [his grandchildren] he loved them so much, he would die to protect them and he is a man of his word,' she said.
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner. The incident comes amid a spate of water-related deaths involving teenagers across the UK during the hot half-term.
