'We will never forget him' — Kirkcaldy united in grief after death of little Eryk
A Fife town has been united in grief following the tragic death of a three-year-old boy who was swept out to sea.
A family photo of Eryk and (right) Courier reader John Burrell's photo shows the size of waves that hit Kirkcaldy Esplanade during heavy swells.
- By Claire Warrender
- Published in the Courier : 14.11.11
- Published online : 14.11.11 @ 01.04pm
The youngster — today named as Eryk Cieraszewski — was pulled into the Firth of Forth at Kirkcaldy on Saturday afternoon by a giant wave.
His distraught mother Jadwiga could only watch in horror.
In a short statement issued through police, Jadwiga said: "Eryk will be sadly missed by all the family. We will never forget him."
Some accounts say Eryk had been sitting on the sea wall having his photograph taken when the tragedy struck, although this has not been confirmed by police.
The toddler was only in the water for around five minutes before he was rescued but frantic efforts to revive him failed and he was pronounced dead an hour and a half later with his family by his side.
As locals laid flowers at the Esplanade in tribute to the boy, one man who was there at the time of the incident described it as the worst thing he had ever witnessed and said the anguished look on the mother's face would live with him forever.
Fife councillor Mark Hood, who saw the drama unfold, has now called for better warnings about the dangers of the sea at Kirkcaldy during high tide.
Eryk, who turned three in August, began nursery at Kirkcaldy's North Primary the same month. Specially trained officers were with his Polish family over the weekend to support them through the tragedy.
Eryk had been on an ordinary outing with his mother and her friend on a beautiful sunny autumn day. Despite the blue skies, ferocious waves were cascading over the town's sea wall soaking passers-by.
It seems one of the waves swept the youngster from the wall into the water at around 3.25pm, dragging him 20 metres out to sea.
His desperate mother called the emergency services and the police, fire service, ambulance, lifeboat and coastguard were all scrambled.
Firefighters wearing dry suits and attached to a safety line waded into the water to try to save him, but the coastguard boat from Kinghorn reached him first and rushed him ashore.
Eryk had no pulse when he was pulled from the water and resuscitation attempts began as soon as he reached the waiting ambulance. He was then rushed under police escort to the Victoria Hospital a few hundred yards away where efforts to revive him continued until after 5pm.
A Polish interpreter and a priest were called to the hospital to comfort the youngster's distressed parents and say prayers with them.
Mr Hood told The Courier he came across the incident as it unfolded and described it as ''horrific''.
''When we arrived the rescue boat was looking for the wee boy and the police were trying to guide them to the spot,'' he said. ''They picked the wee boy up and sped away to the harbour."
Continued...
Add a comment