A painter and decorator who saved a 12-year-old boy from the North Sea after the child's father died trying to rescue him has spoken of his courageous act. Davey Short, 48, has been hailed as the 'hero of Hartlepool' after he plunged into the raging waves at Seaton Carew beach on Sunday afternoon.
Short, a father of seven, was enjoying the hot weather at his mother's house near the beach when he decided to go for a swim. Upon reaching the sand dunes, he saw the sea was too rough to enter. He noticed a child swimming with a man who appeared to be snorkelling but was actually face down in the water. Then he heard screams.
Mother's desperate plea
A mother on the shoreline was yelling for help. Her two sons had been swept out to sea, and their father had gone in after them. Short approached and the mother begged, 'Can you save my son? I can't swim, please.' Without hesitation, ignoring police instructions to stay out of the water, Short sprinted into the sea.
He told Metro: 'I didn't care about myself. I didn't even think about how bad it was. I just thought I'm going in for that bairn.' He swam hard toward the boy, shouting, 'Swim towards me and I'll swim towards you.' But the boy was worried about his father, who was unresponsive. 'The kid was shouting "please save my dad" and was trying to get to him further out,' Short said. 'But I told him to focus on me. I grabbed his hand and just started swimming as hard as I could back to shore.'
Tragic outcome
Short managed to get the boy to where he could stand and walked him to shore. Both collapsed on the beach. 'His mum was hysterical, screaming "thank you". But the little boy was just crying, "My dad, he's dead, isn't he?"' Short said. 'All the dad would want was that his son was alive, that's why he went in. I got his son out, I couldn't save him. He was already gone. But he was the real hero. And the other man who died going in who didn't even know them.'
Two men died in the incident: the boy's father and another man who attempted the rescue. Cleveland Police confirmed both were pronounced dead shortly after being brought out of the sea. Superintendent Glen Ward said: 'Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of both the men involved in this tragic incident today.' He added that the deaths are not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.
Crowdfunder and lifeguard petition
Short plans to set up a crowdfunder for the families of the two men who died. 'I just want to raise something for the other two men that didn't make it, just so the families have a little bit of help for the funerals. If not, the young kids, if they can get something out of it, just a little holiday even – that would be nice,' he said.
It has emerged that Hartlepool Borough Council withdrew lifeguards from Seaton Carew beach in 2001, saving £100,000. A petition demanding year-round lifeguards has gained over 1,500 signatures online.
Superintendent Ward urged the public to avoid open water: '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.'
