A man drowned in the sea after trying to save his friend who 'didn't want to live anymore', an inquest into his death heard.
Alex Gibson, 22, had been on a night out in Blackpool when his friend called him from the North Pier in the early hours of July 30 last year.
He had been with her earlier in the night but the pair separated when she went to Sapphires nightclub, Lancashire Live reports.
Despite being unable to swim, Alex rushed to save her after she told him she was suicidal, the inquest at Blackpool Town Hall heard today (January 24).
The friend got out of the water and went to help when it became apparent that Alex was struggling.
Tragically, he was found face down in the water less than an hour later.
Speaking at the inquest, the friend said: "We were both in the water together. I was trying to help Alex because he couldn't swim. We were hanging on to each other trying to keep each other afloat.
"I realised that the only way we were both getting out was if someone got help so I told him that I was going to get out and get help. It took me a while to swim back because the current was really strong."
After managing to get out of the water she said she shouted back to Alex "to tell him it would be okay".
"I remember seeing him get further out. He was shouting for help," she recalled.
Mark Wright, who was sleeping rough in a shelter on the Promenade, told the inquest that he woke up at 4.10am when he heard Alex's friend screaming: "Alex I can't live without you."
Giving evidence, Mr Wright said he could see Alex "struggling to keep his head above the water", but then lost sight of him because it was dark.
Another man, David Langton, who had also been asleep, woke when he heard Mr Wight shouting to him: "Get on your phone David there's someone in the water."
Mr Langton said in a statement that the friend had told him "she wanted to kill herself".
"She told me her friend couldn't swim. I tried to look for him but I couldn't see anything," he said.
PC Ryan Kavanagh of Lancashire Police was driving down the Promenade at around 4.25am and pulled over when he saw Mr Wright at the side of the road.
"He asked me if I was there because there was someone in the water," PC Kavanagh said.
"I drove to the other side of the pier... below was [Alex's friend] near the water's edge. She was covered in a blanket. She informed me she had been in the water, she didn't want to be here anymore, and her friend had followed her to save her. She told me she'd kill herself if Alex was deceased."
Lifeboat helmsman Sean Wright, who has volunteered with Blackpool RNLI for 25 years, was involved in the search for Alex.
The crew spotted Alex's friend's white Primark handbag floating in the sea and 15 minutes later, at 5.06am, found Alex's body face down in the water 200 metres from the shore.
Alex was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital where resuscitation efforts continued but he was pronounced dead at 6.20am.
The medical cause of death was given as drowning with alcohol intoxication listed as a contributory factor.
Alex's housemate Dillon Dixon, who he had known for 10 years after the pair met at school, was with Alex earlier in the night but went home at around 11pm.
The following morning at 6.18am, not knowing that his friend had died, Dillon woke up and "jokingly" text Alex saying "hope you're alive".
"We've all jokingly sent similar after a night out," Dillon said.
The inquest heard Dillon, who had offered to take Alex to swimming lessons, thought of him as being "like a brother" and the two friends "went through everything together".
"He was a proud vegan and had a heart of gold," Dillon said.
"He enjoyed going to Stanley Park to feed the birds. Alex has in the past had many dark thoughts and said he was tired of everything. He was always sad inside but had the biggest smile on his face."
The inquest heard that although Alex had self-harmed in the weeks before his death and "occasionally had dark moments" there was no evidence he had deliberately taken his own life.
Concluding that Alex's death was a result of misadventure - the unintended consequences of a deliberate act - Senior Coroner Alan Wilson said: "Disregarding his own welfare, as someone who could not swim, this young man bravely went in the water and tried to save a vulnerable young girl. Anyone who has seen the tide at Blackpool when it's fully in knows it is dangerous.
"It's most likely he got into difficulty pretty quickly and he was witnessed by someone trying to stay above the waterline. He could not survive."
Alex's dad, who attended the inquest, said that he had wanted to place a permanent memorial to his son close to where he drowned. He added that Alex's colleagues have raised the money to install a bench in Stanley Park.
After Alex's death his boss posted online: "Alex was truly an amazing young man. All his friends would agree that he was intelligent, hardworking, pleasant, caring and literally wouldn’t hurt a fly. He is a true hero; drowned sacrificing his life to help another.
"He was loved by all his work colleagues and we miss him terribly. Tragically taken at 22. My heart goes out to all his family."
A GoFundMe set up after Alex's death raised £6,303 to help pay for funeral costs.
