A 15-year-old girl was swept out to sea “in a blink” as she and her friend took photos of themselves in front of a raging sea, an inquest has heard.
Grace Keeling died in the sea at Withernsea, East Yorkshire, along with her mother, Sarah Keeling, 45, and local man Mark Ratcliffe, 67, who went into the water to help her on the afternoon of 2 January and immediately got into difficulties themselves.
On Thursday, coroner Lorraine Harris said Grace – who enjoyed dancing, trampolining, BMX riding and making TikTok videos – died as she was “doing what all teenage girls do – having fun and taking photographs”.
Ms Harris heard how Mr Ratcliffe’s wife believes their grandchildren “will grow up knowing their granddad was a hero”.
And the coroner recorded a formal inquest conclusion on the grandfather from Withernsea which stated that he “died in pursuit of trying to save others”.
The inquest in Hull heard evidence from Grace’s friend, who had gone with her and her mother to Withernsea for a day out, from their homes in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, with the Keeling family dog, Lulu.
In her evidence, which was summarised in a police officer’s statement, the girl, who cannot be named, described how she and Grace has been taking turns to go down steps from the promenade while the other took photos and videos with the sea spray behind.
The girl said: “We were laughing and taking videos of each other.”
She said: “We said we would do it one last time”, and described how she walked about four steps up from Grace, who had her back to the sea.
The teenager explained how she turned her back on her friend for a moment as Grace was near some railings on the steps down from the Pier Towers landmark.
She said: “I turned round and, in like a split second, Grace was gone.
“It happened as quick as a blink.
“I initially thought she was hiding somewhere.”
The girl said: “Grace was screaming for help.”
She explained how she also began screaming, adding: “The waves came out of nowhere.”
The teenager said Mrs Keeling arrived and was “freaking out” and screaming for other people to help.
She explained how Grace’s mum went into the water.
The girl said: “Sarah never made it to Grace because of the waves.”
She said: “The waves did not stop. It was getting worse. One minute Grace was near the wall and next she was gone.”
The teenager said a “huge wave came and Sarah was gone”.
She said: “I didn’t know what to do. I was screaming ‘my friend’s in there’.”
‘An act of bravery’
The inquest heard how the girl was taken away by a member of the public, who comforted her, and she said in her statement: “I still cannot believe that this has happened and I won’t see Grace or Sarah again.”
The inquest heard how Mr Ratcliffe’s and Mrs Keeling’s bodies were recovered the same afternoon as the coastguard, RNLI, firefighters and more than 100 police officers arrived at the scene.
The search for Grace’s body took 13 days and it was eventually found trapped among giant boulders used for sea defences to the south of where the incident happened.
The court heard how at least three other people went into the water on that day to try and help.
The coroner was told about the two-day operation to extract Grace’s remain from the boulders as emergency services and a construction firm with heavy equipment battled poor weather and the tides.
The hearing was told the sea was too rough to launch a lifeboat and one fisherman with 40 years’ experience, who witnessed the incident, said the waves were 12ft (4m) high and the conditions were eight out of 10, if 10 is the worst he has ever seen.
Other witnesses said the waves were strong enough to throw rocks onto the promenade.
Recording a verdict of misadventure on Grace, Ms Harris said: “Grace and her friend were doing what all teenage girls do – having fun and taking photos.
“Without appreciating the danger of going so close to the water’s edge, Grace stood with her back to the sea.
“What happened next was so quick that she would not have had any time to help herself.
“She was engulfed by a wave and taken out to sea.”
The coroner recorded a narrative verdict in respect of Mrs Keeling which was that she “died in pursuit of trying to save her daughter”.
Ms Harris was “doing what she appeared to love most” – spending time with daughter.
Turning to Mr Ratcliffe’s death, the coroner said: “I find that he placed trying to save the lives of Mrs Keeling and her daughter Grace over his own safety.
“It was an act of bravery.”
Earlier the coroner heard a statement from Mr Ratcliffe’s wife, Carol, who said she told her husband “don’t go in” as he rushed to help.
In another statement, former fisherman Barry Appleby said the sea conditions were “extremely violent” when he spotted the two girls on the steps, and told how he beeped his horn and shouted to them.
Mr Appleby said he was about to go down to them when “a huge wave about 12 ft high, came over Grace and this took her out to sea”.
He said he told Mrs Keeling “Don’t go in” but “she either did not hear me or chose not to listen”.
The coroner said both Mrs Keeling and Mr Ratcliffe were strong swimmers.
A statement from Jonathan Keeling explained how his life will never be the same after the loss of his wife and his only child.
No relatives of those who died were in court on Thursday.
