Two men hospitalised after jumping from Brighton's Palace Pier
It's led to renewed warnings for people not to try the stunt
Two men have been taken to hospital after being rescued from the sea near Palace Pier.
One man was found face down and unconscious in the water, while the other was unresponsive and clinging to a life ring at just before 7pm on Sunday (August 28th).
The pair had jumped from the structure, prompting warnings from members of Brighton and Hove City Council's seafront team for people not to repeat the stunt.
Seafront Officers Fabian Bull, Chaz Branson and Jake Walker were called out, swimming around 300 metres to the scene.
Fabian and Chaz swam around 300 metres to find one man unconscious and face down in the water and another unresponsive, shaking and clinging to a life ring under the pier.
Using their skills, training, and rescue equipment, they managed to deliver rescue breaths to the unconscious man and bring both men back to shore where Jake was waiting with resuscitation equipment to begin CPR. Paramedics arrived shortly afterwards and took over with advanced life support.
An off-duty doctor also supported paramedics to help the second man who was hypothermic, in shock and suffering from lower back and leg pain The lifeboat and helicopter were quickly on the scene to assist.
Both men were treated at the scene and taken to hospital.
Fabian said:
“This was an extremely challenging situation, but I’m glad to have had Chaz and Jake there with me.
“We worked well as a team to bring the two men back to shore as quickly as we could.
“Unfortunately, this again highlights just how dangerous it is to jump from a pier. At low tide, it’s impossible to tell how deep the water is.”
Meanwhile Brighton and Hove City Council condemned abuse made towards three off-duty lifeguards who helped to manage crowds who gathered at the scene following the incident.
A spokesperson said:
"This was extremely disappointing to hear as our team put their lives on the line every day to help others and deserve nothing but our admiration and respect."