Grace Keeling, 15, and two others — mom Sarah Keeling, 45, and local man Mark Ratcliffe, 67 —died in January after being swept out to sea
Credit: humberside police
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- Grace Keeling, 15, and two others — her mom Sarah Keeling, 45, and local man Mark Ratcliffe, 67 —died in January after they were all swept out to sea
- The teen’s friend said she and Grace were taking photos on steps leading to the beach when the girl was hit by the wave, prompting her mom to try and save her
- Mark’s wife said she and her husband were walking with their grandson when he leaped in the water to help Grace, but never returned
A teenage girl was taking photos with her friend moments before she was hit by a wave and swept out to sea, according to testimony presented at an inquest.
Grace Keeling, 15, was struck by the wave while taking the photos on steps leading down to a beach in Withernsea, East Yorkshire, on Jan. 2, the BBC reported.
The teen’s mom, Sarah Keeling, and local 67-year-old man Mark Ratcliffe both entered the water to help her, reported The Yorkshire Post and ITV. However, none of them survived.
In a statement, Grace’s friend — who is not being named due to court-imposed restrictions — said they “were laughing and taking videos of each other” while taking turns going down the stairs at the beach, according to the BBC and the Post.
"We said we would do it one more time,” the friend recalled. “I turned around and in a split second, Grace was gone. It happened as quick as a blink.”
At first, the friend said she thought Grace “was hiding somewhere” until she spotted the teen in the water and heard her "screaming for help," although initially she wasn't sure her friend was really in distress. "I thought it was a joke," she said.
After realizing what had happened, Grace's mom began "freaking out" and jumped into the water to try and help. But according to the friend, Sarah “never made it to Grace" because a “huge wave came” and washed her away.
Carol Ratcliffe, Mark's wife, said in a statement that they were walking along the promenade with their grandson when they learned a teen was in the water, according to the BBC.
That’s when Carol’s husband entered the water as well. “I couldn't believe what was going on,” she recalled. “I was frantic, I wanted someone to help my husband in the sea.”
Meanwhile, Carol said her grandson “kept asking if grandad was coming out of the sea.”
PC Faye Baskill said at least three other people entered the water to help Grace that day, according to the BBC. One person slipped and broke his ribs during the attempted rescue, while another was swept out to sea themselves, but were pulled back to safety by two other people.
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Although Sarah and Marks bodies were found later that same day, it took 13 days to locate Grace’s body, which was found along some boulders south of where she entered the water, according to ITV and the Post.
“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," said Lorraine Harris, the local coroner, per ITV.
Her cause of death was determined to be misadventure.
In a separate statement read in court, Jonathan Keeling mourned the loss of his daughter Grace and wife Sarah, saying "my life is never going to be the same again."
Meanwhile, Mark’s wife Carol said the grandchildren they shared “will grow up knowing their grandad was a hero,” adding, “I will miss him.”
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