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| Father and two young sons 'very lucky' to survive jet ski accident | Father and two young sons 'very lucky' to survive jet ski accident |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man and his two young boys were "very lucky" not to be killed when they fell off their jet ski, the coastguard said. | A man and his two young boys were "very lucky" not to be killed when they fell off their jet ski, the coastguard said. |
| A safety kill cord between the rider and the jet ski was not attached, meaning the engine did not cut out when they fell into the tidal River Wyre. | |
| HM Coastguard Fleetwood said only "pure luck" saved the man and his sons - aged one and eight - from being hit by the out-of-control jet ski on Saturday. | HM Coastguard Fleetwood said only "pure luck" saved the man and his sons - aged one and eight - from being hit by the out-of-control jet ski on Saturday. |
| The man swam to shore with his baby while a ferry rescued the other boy. | The man swam to shore with his baby while a ferry rescued the other boy. |
| The eight-year-old was picked up by the Fleetwood to Knott End ferry in Lancashire. | The eight-year-old was picked up by the Fleetwood to Knott End ferry in Lancashire. |
| "This incident could have so easily ended up as a multiple fatal incident, with the deaths of two children and a father," said a statement on the coastguard's Facebook page. | "This incident could have so easily ended up as a multiple fatal incident, with the deaths of two children and a father," said a statement on the coastguard's Facebook page. |
| The jet ski was recovered by the Fleetwood lifeboat. | |
| The man and the older boy were wearing personal flotation devices instead of lifejackets while the baby had a ring, the coastguard said. | The man and the older boy were wearing personal flotation devices instead of lifejackets while the baby had a ring, the coastguard said. |
| It added: "Wear a good, well fitted lifejacket. If your craft has a kill cord..... use it!" | It added: "Wear a good, well fitted lifejacket. If your craft has a kill cord..... use it!" |
| 'Very lucky escape' | |
| Tony Cowell, captain of the Fleetwood to Knott End Ferry, helped with the rescue. | |
| He told the BBC the three were in "a lot of danger". | |
| He said the jet ski was "still in gear, going round in circles". | |
| "We went to the father and the youngest child first. I was shouting to him: 'Are you okay?' | |
| "He managed to get his feet on to the sand and he said: 'Get my little lad' which we proceeded to do. | |
| "The little lad tried to get to the jet ski and we shouted over: 'Do not go near!' | |
| Mr Cowell said some of the 16 passengers aboard helped to comfort the little boy, who was "a little bit upset". | |
| He said the water was "still at winter temperature and it doesn't warm up until September" and that "the current was going at six knots - they could have been swept out." | |
| Mr Cowell said the jet ski had travelled 1.5-2 miles in 10 minutes before it was picked up by the lifeboat. | |
| He added: "They had a very lucky escape. They came from Manchester and they don't know the tides and how powerful they are around here." |