14-year-old saved after being dragged out to sea
Posted: August 14, 2013
Posted in: Personal Injury
A fourteen-year-old girl was saved after being dragged out to sea by a very powerful rip tide off the north coast of Norfolk yesterday. She had been on a sandbar with a friend at Sea Palling on Tuesday afternoon when the strong current pulled her away. Lifeguard Max Moore (19) luckily spotted the accident and swam out to sea to rescue the pair (164ft).
After the young girl was towed back to land another lifeguard, George Griffin, helped perform first aid. Her friend was able to return to land unaided. The RNLI said that the girl had inhaled “a significant amount of water“, which the lifeguard team treated with oxygen prior to the arrival of an ambulance.
Swim parallel to the beach
Mr Moore, who has been patrolling the beach for four summer seasons, said: “With an incoming tide, water flows quickly over the sandbar and creates a dangerous rip current, dragging in an arc off the sandbank and out to sea.”
The RNLI suggest that anyone who finds themselves in a similar difficulty should react in the following way:
- If caught in a rip current, avoid swimming and try to wade if you can stand
- Keep hold of a board or inflatable, if available, to help you float
- Do not attempt to swim directly against the rip – attempt to swim parallel to the beach
If you have sustained a personal injury in a public place, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us.
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