A father and a passerby drowned while attempting to rescue two children from the sea at Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool, an inquest has revealed.
Wayne Taylor, 38, of Bishop Auckland, entered the water on Sunday, July 12, after his young son and daughter got into distress while playing. He was joined by 62-year-old grandfather Ian Pascoe, of Peterlee, who was walking nearby with his wife and granddaughter and ran in to assist.
Cleveland Police received a call from Mr. Taylor's wife around 3:45 p.m. reporting a child in difficulty. According to area coroner for Teesside and Hartlepool Paul Appleton, both Mr. Taylor and Mr. Pascoe entered the water to attempt a rescue. A third male also assisted, and one child was retrieved from the water.
However, the two men failed to return to shore. They were last seen 50 to 75 meters offshore and were barely noticeable, the inquest heard. By 4 p.m., the coastguard had arrived and recovered both men from the sea. They were pronounced dead at Hartlepool Marina, with drowning listed as the provisional cause of death.
Seaton Carew beach is noted by locals to have a limited lifeguard presence, operating only during school summer holidays. The incident has deeply affected the community, with floral tributes left at the beach.
A GoFundMe fundraiser established in memory of Mr. Taylor raised over £15,000, with the funds being split between the families of both men.
Dan Pascoe, son of Ian Pascoe, described his father as someone who "always did the right thing" and took action when others might not have. He recounted his father telling his mother to hold his phone, stating he would be back shortly before entering the water.
Davey Short, another individual who assisted in the rescue, described the challenging sea conditions. He observed the children struggling in the waves and realized a second figure, who turned out to be Mr. Taylor, was face down in the water. Mr. Short then entered the water and, with the help of another person, managed to pull one of the children to shore. He noted the children's mother was on the beach and unable to swim, and that the eldest son had also gone into the water in an attempt to help his siblings.
