A retired stonemason in his 60s died after suffering a cardiac arrest while rescuing two family members from a changing tide at Tregirls Beach near Padstow, Cornwall.
The incident occurred at approximately 3:50 p. m.
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on Monday, May 25.
Phil Crow rushed into the sea after a sudden tidal shift pulled his nine-year-old granddaughter, Sia, and his wife, Tina, into deeper water.
Around 15 members of the public joined the rescue efforts to bring the family members back to the shore safely.
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that emergency services and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) attended the scene following a report from the Ambulance Service.
Officials pronounced the Padstow resident deceased at the beach, and authorities are preparing a file for the coroner.
The incident occurred during an unseasonably hot May half-term, which has seen a series of water-related fatalities across the region.
Other recent victims include 13-year-old Reco Puttock in West Yorkshire, a teenage girl in Warwickshire, a fourth teenager in Rotherham, and 15-year-old Abbie Carmody-Pepper in Ireland.
Family Recounts Heroic Actions
Tina Crow described how the water suddenly deepened and pulled them away from the shore.
"We were jumping up with the waves then all of a sudden we couldn't hit the floor when we landed, it was deeper and was pulling us out," she said.
She explained that her husband directed their granddaughter to float on her back before pushing her toward safety, which ultimately prevented him from returning to shore.
"He was shouting at her to lay on her back but she couldn't stand, he pushed her to safety, but doing so meant he couldn't get back himself," Tina Crow said.
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Tina Crow noted that her 12-year-old grandson, Nate, had alerted bystanders from the beach, and she expressed gratitude to the emergency responders, many of whom personally knew her husband.
Family members spoke about the legacy of the Padstow resident following the beach rescue.
"He always told [his grandchildren] he loved them so much, he would die to protect them and he is a man of his word," said daughter Mel Thomas.
The victim's family expressed deep appreciation for his final actions on the beach.
"I'm just so thankful for him and what he did," said Angie Crow, mother of Nate and Sia.
Law enforcement officials provided details regarding the emergency response and the subsequent legal procedure.
"We were called by the Ambulance Service at around 3.50pm on Monday 25 May following a report of a man suffering a cardiac arrest in the sea at Tregirls Beach, Padstow," said a Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson.
The police department confirmed that the death is not being treated as suspicious.
"Emergency services and the RNLI attended the scene but sadly, the local man in his 60s was pronounced deceased at the scene.
His next of kin are aware," the spokesperson said.
Investigators are finalizing the official report regarding the incident for the local authorities.
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"The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for HM Coroner," the spokesperson added.
