To think she should have rescued her own child instead of raging at me?

[drowningyouout]

Name changed for this. Regular poster and don't want this attached to my normal user name.

Weather here crap, as everywhere, but warm enough so DS (7) and I don wellies and waterproofs and take a walk down the beach.

Wind and tide conditions are making it very rough and tide was mid height and on it's way in.

We see a mum, dad and their 2 DC's on some rocks - which as you imagine are wet and slippery.

Suddenly a wave crashes up to the rocks and one of their DC's (a lad of 6) slips and falls into the sea.

The parents are understandably in a panic and the dad starts to take the smaller DC back over the rocks towards the shore whilst yelling at the lad to swim to rocks and hold on.

I can see he's in trouble take wellies and waterproofs off yell at DS to stand back from water and go in to rescue him. The tidal conditions made swimming really difficult so I take the lad towards the rocks, calling for the mum to come help him up.

She starts saying she may slip, it's too near the water and can't I take him to shore. Out of breath and not wanting to waste it talking I get to the rocks and with great difficulty get the lad out. As I did this he slipped a bit banging his head and cutting it. I cut my shin quite badly climbing out myself as waves crashed me against the rocks.

Get to the beach and coastguard have arrived and called paramedics. (There's a beach watch thing right by where we were).

Anyway the paramedic arrive after a bit a said the boy needs to go to A&E as he has a head injury and they need to check his lungs. They dressed my shin on scene.

The boy got really upset saying he'd miss his friend party this afternoon - he was actually hysterical but I suspect it was more the shock. The mum looked up and said " well you wouldn't have had to miss it if that stupid cow had taken you to shore instead of throwing you onto the rocks"

I was quite impressed with the coastguard who replied " what the stupid cow who most probably just saved your DS' life?"

AIBU to think she should have done something herself if the way he was rescued was such a problem.

Drowning .
You saved that wee boy , your a proper real life hero .

I live at a seaside town , which has a prom running paralllel to the beach .
Last year a child got swept away by the incoming waves that crashed over the sea-wall. He was 4 years old and was holding his mothers hand whilst walking on the wall. The tide came in really fast and before anyone knew what had happened he'd gone . It took the coastguard and police hours to find him , poor baby , it was too late. . The town had a black cloud over it as everyone was in shock that this happened . There's a little memorial for him .

This happened at a "safe" walkway . Now if there is bad weather or expected storms they close the prom walkway , and have reminders in the local paper to stay back from beach during bad weather . It won't bring the wee boy back , but it might stop other children drowning.

You saved that 6 year old. He will be grateful for the rest of his days ....and will probably tell his grand kids about the lady that saved him from drowning .

OP you did an amazing act, forget her reaction, you were wonderful. Your DS will have seen you in action and will also be very proud. The mum will have been shocked and mortified that she helplessly watched. Hope you're feeling ok today and that your leg heals quickly.

Thanks everyone. I know the rocks well because in good weather and good tidal conditions they are OK to climb on - I climbed them as a child and take DS on them. No-one has ever drowned on them - luckily. They are large and fairly flat. They are manmade as a breakwater which is why the currents are weird there - or because of the weird current there they built the breakwater!

The problem I had was the sea conditions. It was very rough and the tide happened to be in enough that the edge of the sea was by a shelving bit so waves were breaking there and the drag out is stronger - again mostly to do with the weather meets tide conditions. I felt it would be harder to get to shore than on the rocks. Unfortunatly the sea rushing up the rocks meant the poor lads landing was slightly harder than I anticipated. I used the waves as a kinda hoist and then pulled myself up.

The mum did help on the rocks. She was hysterical though and quite understandably concerned about him.

You are a hero. Truly.

She... she is a fucking twat.

What a horrid woman! Shock is no excuse.

I have had a dog fallin and my DP has resuced it and i have had a go at him, i canonly put it down to shock.

I would hold the dad as responsible, he is the stronger out of the two, so why he left,is anyone's guess.

Pressed 'send' to soon.

I would not be of any use on the rocks or in the Sea, but because of that i wouldn't try to climb them in rough weather.

They are both a pair of idiots, for taking two children under 6 near to the edge.

Wow op,well done you!!!!

I'm staggered at the mother,honestly I'm starting to worry about what the world is coming to at times.

Hope you're around if ever my dc get into trouble.Well done again,huuuuuge pat on the back!!!!

He didn't leave he was calling for him to swim whilst taking the younger one to safety. He was further away than the mum and nearest the LO so it does make sense that's what happened.

I can't begin to imagine being the parent in that situation - I mean I thought "shit fuck that lad could drown" !

Well I had a nice surprise about half hour ago. The paramedic rang me (he had my name/number from the incident form and said I hoped I didn't mind him ringing but as he was at work he could get the details) to check how I was. He couldn't say much to due to confidentiality but the lad had 8 stitches and the mum was apparently still in a right state. He said he couldn't believe what she said but said worse to the paramedics when they were in the ambulance - apparently just ranting hysterically and saying she didn't want anyone to touch her boy (I'm thinking from what he said more like don't fucking touch him you cunt!). I think the poor woman was traumatised and couldn't protect him when he fell in and so was trying to do it then iyswim?

My leg is OK this morning thanks for asking. Heading to my friends in a bit to air and dry my car - it is actually sunnyish here today - well dry anyway! and she is cooking roast dinner. Yum.

Well done your mum - I reckon she'd maybe understand what I mean about it's easier if it's not your child. I think you can gather your thoughts easier iyswim?

And yes the cut was big - it was under his hair though luckily so the blood wasn't as obvious as if it was his forhead. And hopefully that means there'll be less of a visable scar. (my DS has a slight bald patch about the size of a 5p peice from a small cut on his head that was glued many years ago!)

A couple of times I have had a physical problem in a public place (nothing like as bad as you describe, just acutely stressful for a moment). Someone came along & offered to help & I bit their head off. I have no idea why, I didn't feel remotely angry at them, I just felt like going nuts (I am getting even worse at handling pressure as I get older, too :(). It was like I just got overwhelmed & all the tension came out as aggression when I opened my mouth.

I can only think she's had a reaction like that. Overwhelmed & all confused. I bet paramedics see a load of it.

Not an excuse but a possible explanation.

Hope your leg heals well & soon.

she doesn't sound quite the full ticket - trauma makes people react in strange ways though I guess. As for you, "well done" doesn't quite cut it - you did a wonderful thing. You definitely saved that little boy's life.

I've rescued a few kids in my time - nothing like as dramatic as this, though - and the mothers have always been horrible! I think it's all the emotions coming out at once - including fear and shame, which never bring out the best in a person. You don't know how you'll react in a crisis until it happens.

Congrats, you're a real live hero! Nice of the paramedic to call :) Enjoy your lunch.

Drowning, firstly well done you. Secondly I just wanted to tell you a story.

Many years ago when I was 15 we were out in Pool harbour and I saw a child floating on a lilo with an in comming tide and very strong off shore wind and tidal swell from a storm the day befor. A few mins (maybe 10 later) I saw the lilo way out at see and no kid on. A quick scan of the water showed a little girl in a red swimming costume upside down about 500m away from our (very small boat) she was laying lifeless in the water, without thinking I dived off the side of the boat (fully clothed). Should point out my mum and dad were with me in the boat but neither is (or was) a very strong swimmer (god bless them for making sure I was) The sea was very heavy with tidal waves and it took about 5 mins for me to get to the kid, by which time my dad had relised what was going on and was trying to pull the anchor up (if anyone knows Pool back then it was terrible mud and the achor wouldn´t budge) I got to said little girl and turned her over, and she was totally blue. As we were so far off shore I started to try and get some of the water off of her lungs (which I have no idea why of how but it worked) and she started to breath again, it took about 10mins for me to get her in towards shore and about 5 of the local men came running into the water to help me out with her. In the time it took me to get her in I had been bashed against some rocks and had a very long very deep cut on my arm which needed a lot of stiches to repair. After a couple of nights in hospital the little girl made a full recovery, and the "rescue" made the local papers.

What didn´t make the papers is that the mother of this little girl took me to court! She tried her level best to sue me for "harming" her child, The little girl was 6 (i think) and other than a stay in hopstial not a hair on her head had been harmed and her mum and dad where not even on the beach, they where in a cafe having dropped DD down on the beach. It did make it court where the judge (god bless him) read the mum and riot act and told her she should be down on her knee thanking a teenanger for rescuing her daughter. He wrote me a letter (I still have it) very kindly telling me that the world is full of strange people and that I did a very kind thing and that he hoped that this womans reaction would not stop me from doing it again. He took the time to make sure I was ok and to make sure I knew I had done a good thing. He signed it as a Judge and Grandfather with his hope that his Granddaughter would never need a good samaritian like me. His words have always stayed with me and I have unfortunately done similar things any times, I joined the mountain rescue when I moved (left them about 20 years ago), and even many years latter I still have a gift for being the wrong place (or maybe it is the right place) at the wrong (or maybe the right) time. But that little girl in the red swimming costume stays with me even now I have never forgotten the look on her face when we made it back to shore.

You did a good thing and like the Judge said to me the world is full of strange people. Don´t give Mum a second thought that little boy´s stiches will heal, your leg will get better, your trousers can be replaced and the seat of your car will dry (ps. Try folding towels over and sitting on them) but that Mum will never forget her fear and that little boy has learned the hard way that rocks and sea don´t mix.

Today a little boy is with his parents becuase you did a brave thing.

OP you are a real hero - no question about it. I've a lump in my throat reading what you did, and mummyinspain above. Great that we have people like you who put themselves out there to help others. Amazing.

Maybe I´m odd, but no matter what no matter how, no matter when a human life is always worth saving. I worked with the RNIL for a bit, now they are heros, they go out to sea when they now they shouldn´t to try and save other people.

I´m just unlucky I guess Where ever I go I always seem to end up resucing someone. maybe I should stay at home can´t help thinking I´m bad luck.

But, I´m not the one that did a good thing yesterday, thats drowning my point was that there are some very strange people in the world. Paramedics have I´m afraid seen it countless times, as have the police, firebrigade, mountain rescue, RNIL, etc. I´m jsut sorry that Drowning had to see it yesterday and I hope it will never stop her or anyone else from doing similar things again.

Mummy I'm staggered.

Don´t be, I´ve seen and heard of much worse. Will not tell you what my Dad wanted to do to her (My dad, the ex police officer and nicest, calmest, Hey everyone calm down and think kind of man you will meet), nor the local fishermen. She was fortunately not a local the locals would never had left a kid on that beach, it looked safe but was lethal.

I will never forgive the stupid woman (sorry but she offended our gender) that tried to take a mountain rescue paramedic (who happened to be male, married and with two kids, and who had given up his sunday evening to go and search for her) to court for sexual assult for steaming a femeral artery bleed with pressue.

Gobsmacked!

What a sad sad world at times.

Those people should be ashamed of themselves

wow, Mummyinspain. But lovely to hear about the judge who was so concerned to reassure you. And poignant to hear him sign the letter as a grandfather.

I am sitting here like this - - at those stories, mummyinspain! How can people be so awful when someone like you has saved their life, or the life of their loved one?

I attended the funeral of ex-pat's lovely daughter yesterday - you and the OP have saved someone from going through what this lovely little girl's parents went through yesterday, and are still going through. Words cannot express the amazingness of what you did.

Good morning Hero OP and also Hero Mummyinspain and the other hero posters on this thread. Thank you all very much for your brave and selfless actions recently and over the years, there are people alive in this world because of you.

Would just like to echo what someone upthread said. I lost DS at a soft play (got stuck in the toilets) and I found it very hard to be calm and speak politely and properly to people who were trying to help. Similarly when phoning an ambulance. Called woman an idiot yesterday but on reflection, maybe she was just frightened. Either way, focus on the rescue x