A father who died trying to save two children from the sea at Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool has been named as Wayne Taylor. The 42-year-old was at the beach with his family on Sunday when two children got into difficulty in the water. Three men, including Mr Taylor, entered the sea to help. Beachgoer Davey Short and another unnamed man also went in. Both Mr Taylor and the unnamed man died. Their bodies were brought to shore by the RNLI, which arrived at around 3.45pm. The children were confirmed safe and taken to hospital for checks.
Eyewitness account of the rescue
Davey Short, who also tried to help, described the scene: “There were three children at the beach with their mam and dad, a boy aged 15, a second boy aged 11 or 12 and a younger girl. The two younger kids were in the sea and started to struggle.” Mr Short added: “I was the third person to go into the water. The children’s mother was on the beach, she was hysterical and asking if I could help because she couldn’t swim. Her eldest son had gone into the water as well to try to rescue his brother and sister but they were still out there. I managed to swim out and get hold of the boy.”
Police statement on the tragedy
Superintendent Glen Ward of Cleveland Police said: “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of both the men involved in this tragic incident today. Despite the best efforts of emergency services, sadly both men were pronounced dead a short time after being brought out of the sea. We are conducting enquiries into the circumstances of what happened today, although the deaths are not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the Coroner.” He added: “I would like to remind everyone that open water comes with serious risks. We know it is inviting in the hot weather, but we would encourage people to refrain from entering any open water at all. Today we have sadly seen the true tragedy that can happen as a result. Please take extra care and enjoy the warm weather as safely as possible.”
Community fundraising for the family
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover funeral costs and support Mr Taylor’s children. A family friend paid tribute on Facebook: “Wayne Taylor (Tim) as the lads would say, you know what they say god only takes the best and that you was, thanks so much for being the most amazing best friend to my Liam, you really did mean so much to him.”
