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Search forBoy breaks leg tombstoning 60ft into three feet of water
Saturday, July 12, 2008, 17:30
The police, coastguards, ambulance service and the RNLI were all involved rescuing the boy after the accident at 3.30pm today.
A spokeswoman for Brixham Coastguard said the 15-year-old local boy had apparently jumped from the roof of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Madeira Road on the Hoe, and plunged 60 feet into just three feet of water.
A Plymouth Coastguard team alerted by the ambulance service arrived to find the boy lying on the yacht club slipway.
He was picked up by Plymouth RNLI's Atlantic 75 inshore lifeboat and taken back to the RNLI base at Millbay Marina.
There he was transferred by land ambulance to Derriford Hospital with a broken left leg and suspected spinal injuries.
The boy is believed to have been part of a large group who had been jumping off the roof, but the accident ocurred two hours after high water on a small ebbing neap tide.
The coastguard spokeswoman said: "Our advice is that if you are jumping from heights, you should first ensure there is enough water."
Coastguards have warned again about the dangers of tombstoning.
Zoe Boyne, watch manager at Brixham Coastguard, said: “This local lad should have known better.
“A lot of our local youngsters are very aware of the dangers the sea can hold and they can guide tourists as to the ’do’s and don’ts’ of local activity.
“It seems that there was a large group of youngsters undertaking this activity and egging each other on to take that extra bit of risk – and someone crossed the stupid line.”
Ms Boyne added: “We are appealing to parents to forewarn their youngsters of the real dangers that exist by doing this.
“The sea falls and rises on the tide. That means the depth changes.
“What was ’safe’ a few hours earlier may be the depth of a damp flannel now. What looked great on You Tube might not look so cool from the perspective of a wheelchair.”
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