A fatal end to a Baltic Sea vacation. A young man was paralyzed.
A fatal accident occurred in one of the most popular Polish seaside resorts. One jump into the water ruined the rest of the vacation plans of a man who overestimated his abilities.
This was not how Sunday afternoon was supposed to look for a young man who was relaxing on an unguarded beach on the Baltic Sea and decided to jump into the water. It turned out that as a result of his ill-considered decision, he suffered serious paralysis. The 31-year-old’s feat landed him in hospital with a spinal injury.
Tragedy in Ustka. Tourist ignored the red flag
The man who experienced the tragic accident is a Ukrainian citizen. He was spending his vacation on the beach in the eastern part of Ustka. We are talking about a place at the height of the popular Irena Kwiatkowska bench. Although theoretically the point is not guarded, lifeguards watch over it anyway. The tourist waited until the guards disappeared from view and then ignored the red flag prohibiting entry into the water. A moment later, he regretted it.
One jump into the water completely paralyzed the 31-year-old. Although it is not entirely clear how the whole incident unfolded, rescuers have some guesses as to how the injury occurred. “The man hit his head on the bottom, jumping into the water either from the stakes or running from the beach. No one saw that moment exactly,” Piotr Wasilewski, the head of the lifeguards at the Ustka beach, told local media.
Paralyzed tourist taken away by rescuers
The accident site was approximately 100-150 meters from the lifeguard station. When they noticed that something was wrong, they immediately went into action. It is known that the man was conscious after being pulled to the shore. He was then taken by the medical rescue team to the Słupsk Emergency Department.
“A 31-year-old man from Ukraine was admitted to the emergency room with a suspected spinal injury. He is paralyzed from the waist down, but conscious. Tests are ongoing,” Marcin Prusak, spokesman for the Provincial Specialist Hospital in Słupsk, reported on Sunday afternoon.
Although this is the first accident of this type this season in Ustka, it is not the first serious incident at the seaside. This year, there have already been many drownings or dangerous situations. Lifeguards warn not to ignore red flags and not to enter the water when it is dangerous. Last weekend, strong reverse currents were noticed in the Baltic Sea, which can pull swimmers into the sea at the least expected moment. By following the warnings, we can prevent similar tragic events.
