Sea broke my rib as I tried to save girl, 5
Rescuer tells of freak wave tragedy
A FORMER triathlete suffered a broken rib as she battled powerful waves while trying to save a drowning girl of five.
Lucy Seviour told an inquest she dashed into the sea when Rose Carter was swept away by a freak 8ft wave.
Rose and mum Sofia, 32, were washed off their feet while walking on the beach at Durdle Door, Dorset, on April 18.
Lucy, who was climbing nearby, heard screams and rushed into the water, getting 2ft from Rose while fighting the tide. She said: “I tried to move but got hit by another wave and washed up on the beach. I tried to get her mum away but it’s her kid so she went straight back in.” Lucy later learned she had suffered a broken rib. Sofia, of Salisbury, Wilts, did not attend the inquest in Bournemouth, but said in a statement she was repeatedly pulled under the water while trying to find her daughter. She added: “A man pulled me out and I could then see Rose beyond the breaking waves.” An MoD boat later found tragic Rose and she was pronounced dead in hospital. Verdict: Accident.