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An adolescent who drowned after leaping off a pier in to the ocean informed his pals he could not swim, an inquest has heard.
David Ejimofor, 15, died at Aberavon seaside, Neath port Talbot, on Monday, June 19, 2023, after he jumped from the prime platform in to the water under.
His circle of relatives in the past mentioned the stunt is an area end-of-school-year custom to have a good time the top of GCSE tests.
The listening to at Swansea Coroners’ Court heard from eyewitnesses that they’d heard David inform his pals he used to be now not a assured swimmer.
Fisherman Luke McDonald overhead the schoolboy say he wasn’t certain he would be capable to swim if he jumped in to the deep water.
Mr McDonald, who used to be a few hundred yards clear of the crowd of youngsters, heard the proficient weightlifter and monitor athlete air his considerations prior to his pals egged him on.
He informed the inquest he heard the kids shout phrases to the impact of ‘Come on – leap in. You’ll be tremendous. It’s now not deep.’
The eyewitness described observing the varsity pupils leap in and believed David used to be tremendous prior to overhearing panicked shouts coming from the crowd as {the teenager} thrashed round in panic.
David Ejimofor, 15, who died at Aberavon seaside, Neath port Talbot, on Monday, June 19, 2023, confessed he could not swim prior to jumped from the prime pier in to the ocean along with his pals
He mentioned: ‘I then noticed him leap in. He used to be now not driven or compelled in. As he jumped in I used to be observing to verify he used to be k as I heard him say he could not swim. I noticed thrashing round a little bit.
‘I noticed some others take hold of him and stay him afloat. He gave the impression of he had make stronger. I grew to become again to my fishing rod. I then heard them say they could not see him. I heard any person shout: “I can’t see Dave.”‘
The inquest heard that numerous other people rushed to the boy’s assist together with a few of his pals who struggled to carry him up out of the water.
The courtroom had heard how David, who had long past viral on TikTok for his weightlifting prowess, used to be heavier than a standard 15-year-old and had a bodybuilder’s vitamin.
One teen who were looking to assist the social media famous person keep out of the water used to be bodily ‘exhausted’, the inquest heard.
A variety of paddleboarders and swimmers rushed to check out to rescue David from the water with the assistance of a lifestyles ring which were thrown from the pier.
Tyler Rowland, an off-duty police officer on the seaside who used to be paddleboarding on the time, informed the courtroom he heard a number of of the seven youngsters go back to the seaside in panic.
DC Rowland mentioned: ‘I be mindful listening to one among them say: “He’s gone.” I paddled in opposition to them and a few of them informed me any person had long past underneath the water and hadn’t arise.
‘Two or 3 of the lads, elderly round 15 and 16, had been within the water and had been shaken up and treading water. One of them mentioned one thing like: “He’s a big boy and he can’t swim.” They had been in actual panic. A teenage girl used to be screaming at them: “Look for him, look for him.”‘
His circle of relatives in the past mentioned he jumped off the pier with pals in prime tide in what is alleged to be an area end-of-school-year custom to have a good time the top of GCSE tests (pictured: Aberavon seaside)
The inquest heard that the police officer dived a number of instances looking for David’s frame prior to ultimately discovering it within the murky water.
He mentioned: ‘I dived down and used to be looking out the ground with my fingers. It used to be totally darkish and I could not see anything else. My fingers hit what I believed used to be a rock to start with. I then used to be satisfied it used to be the highest of an arm. I used to be at the sea ground at this level and the male used to be flat at the seabed.
DC Roland then described putting the hoop over David’s head and swimming with him to shore along his exhausted college pals.
Katie Morgan who used to be coaching within the water at Aberavon on the time for an upcoming Ironman tournament described how a nurse and DC Roland started giving CPR whilst police and paramedics arrived.
Police constable Lewis Evans and police constable Gethin Horler-Clee informed the courtroom they helped take David additional up the seaside because the tide used to be coming in prior to putting him on a paddleboard and turning in additional compressions and the usage of a defibrillator.
Paramedic Barry Edwards mentioned consistent with witness stories David were underneath the water for 10 mins. He mentioned two shocks had been administered the usage of the defibrillator and complicated lifestyles make stronger used to be supplied on the scene prior to David used to be pronounced useless at 8.05pm.
Swansea University pathologist Dr Williams showed that David had died from drowning.
David’s oldsters Maria and Alex Ejimofor arrived on the seaside prior to they had been taken along their son to Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.
Mrs Ejimofor informed the courtroom her son wasn’t a powerful swimmer and she or he and her circle of relatives had been ‘stunned’ to listen to he had jumped into the water from the pier.
She mentioned he used to be ready to swim after having courses as a kid however he used to be now not assured within the water.
The heartbroken mom added he wasn’t a risk-taker however a ‘vivid and curious soul who all the time had a grin on his face’.
She endured to pay tribute to her son, announcing: ‘He used to be truthful, worrying, clever, well mannered, unbiased, hardworking, lively, respectful, and a fantastic younger boy who had accomplished such a lot in his 15 years.
‘David used to be a beacon of positivity and resilience. He introduced pleasure and laughter and his reminiscence will stay within the hearts of the ones lucky to have identified him. His spirit conjures up us to search out energy in probably the most tough moments.’
As smartly as being an avid weightlifter, David used to be a extremely professional 100m sprinter and excelled within the lengthy leap, prime leap, and shot put.
He had additionally carried out smartly in class, in particular in French and maths, and he performed the piano with ‘melodies which touched our hearts’, his mom mentioned.
