Dramatic footage shows the moment a mum was rescued by a passerby after she was swept into the sea at Seaham
and live on Freeview channel 276
Rosa Fawcett, 27 from Darlington, has thanked a stranger after he saved her from drowning in the sea at Seaham following her being swept out by a freak wave.
Rosa was visiting with her family and walking along the promenade when the incident took place at around 10am on Wednesday, April 7.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe business analyst has described how she entered up in the water and what was going through her mind before she was saved.
She said: “My family were on the beach and I was walking along the promenade looking for a way to get down to them.
"I started walking towards the sand and all of a sudden, a wave crashed over me, took my legs away and swept me out to sea.
"I went under the water and managed to get up to catch my breath before being pulled under again, I was just screaming for help and felt like I was constantly being swept further out while trying not to inhale any water.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"Then I saw stranger called Chris wading out to me who managed to grab my hand and pulled me out before phoning an ambulance for me, I couldn’t even stand as my legs had gone to jelly.
“I just kept thinking that I hoped the coastguard would arrive quickly and that this was how I was going to die.”
She added: “I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better response, Chris is a true hero for saving me and somehow I’ve managed to come away from it with a few scraps and some bruised knees, it was all just a bit of a shock.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"Thankfully everyone was just calm, most people on the beach were saying afterwards that they thought it was a rucksack that had been washed away.
"I’m not stupid, I hate the water and I understand how to be safe around it, it was just a freak accident.”