Three died after girl swept out to sea – inquest

A 15-year-old girl was taking photos with her friend before she was swept out to sea, an inquest has heard.

Grace Keeling and her friend were taking pictures on the steps leading down to the beach in Withernsea, East Yorkshire, before Grace was engulfed by a large wave.

Her mother Sarah Keeling, 45, and passer-by Mark Ratcliffe, 67, died after going into the water to try to save Grace on 2 January.

In a statement read out at Hull Coroner's Court on Thursday, Jonathan Keeling, Grace's dad and Sarah's husband, said: "I'm going to miss my wife and daughter terribly and my life is never going to be the same again."

The inquest heard that Sarah had taken Grace and a friend to Withernsea for a day out from their homes in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, with their family dog, Lulu.

In a statement read out in court, Grace's friend, who cannot be named due to restrictions imposed by the court, said: "We were taking it in turns to go down the stairs... We were laughing and taking videos of each other.

"We said we would do it one more time… I turned around and in a split second, Grace was gone. It happened as quick as a blink.

"I initially thought she was hiding somewhere… and then I saw her in the water. Grace was screaming for help… I thought it was a joke."

She added: "The condition of the sea changed so quickly. The waves came out of nowhere."

Grace's friend said Sarah was "freaking out" before she saw her enter the water.

She added: "I was going to go in. I started taking my jacket off. I didn't know what to do."

But a woman stopped her from going in and took her into her campervan.

A statement from Carol Ratcliffe, Mark's wife, said they had taken their grandson to walk along the promenade when they heard about a girl in the water.

She said that when Mark entered the water, "I couldn't believe what was going on... I was frantic, I wanted someone to help my husband in the sea".

She said their grandson "kept asking if grandad was coming out of the sea".

Giving evidence, PC Faye Baskill said a large group of people tried to help Grace, with one man climbing over the sea defences, slipping and breaking his ribs in an attempt to rescue her.

Another man was swept into the sea by a wave and was pulled out by two members of the public.

The officer said there were six people in the water at one point, including Grace, Sarah and Mark.

Mark and Sarah's bodies were recovered later that day.

The inquest heard Mark, from Withernsea, died from drowning and chest injuries while Sarah died from drowning and head and neck injuries.

Grace's body was found on 15 January, trapped among giant sea defence boulders, but it was not recovered until two days later due to tides and conditions.

She died due to immersion in cold water, the inquest heard.

Lorraine Harris, area coroner for Hull and East Yorkshire, concluded that Mark died "in pursuit of trying to save others", while Sarah died "in pursuit of trying to save her daughter".

She concluded that Grace died on 2 January of misadventure and said: "Grace and her friend were doing what all teenage girls do, having fun and taking photos."

The coroner acknowledged the "bravery, skill and tireless dedication of the men and women who firstly located her, then did everything in their power to recover her".

Jonathan's described his wife as having a "very spontaneous personality" and he said that Grace "completed our family". She "loved entertaining people" and dreamed of becoming an event planner or an entertainment manager.

The coroner told the court: "Both Sarah and Grace seemed so vivacious. It just seems too cruel to lose them both in such circumstances."

Speaking of Mark, she said: "What an amazing man he was. He put trying to help others over his own safety."

In her statement, Carol said: "Our grandchildren will grow up knowing their grandad was a hero. I will miss him."

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