A TEENAGER who was ‘messing around’ at South Gare suffered fatal brain damage after being swept out to sea.

Erik Horvat was visiting South Gare, Redcar with his sister and two friends when he somehow fell into the freezing cold water at around 8am on Saturday, January 12 this year.

The 19-year-old’s friend, Jan Bartos, jumped into the sea to try and help him before the RNLI were scrambled to search for him.

Teesside Coroners Court heard how the group were ‘messing around’ at the beauty spot and there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incidents.

The Czech national was pulled from the sea by the lifeboat crew who then gave him emergency CPR in a desperate attempt to revive him.

The teenager, of Faraday Street, Middlesbrough, was then taken to James Cook University Hospital where medics managed to revive him but he had suffered a significant brain injury.

He died a week later.

A report from Dave Cocks, the Lifeboat Operations Manager for Redcar RNLI, was read out during the hearing.

The volunteer said a body was spotted floating face down in the sea and one crew member jumped in to turn him over until he was pulled into the lifeboat.

He said that two volunteers carried out CPR while the lifeboat headed to shore where air and road ambulance crew continued their efforts to resuscitate the teenager.

A medical report showed Mr Horvat had suffered significant brain damage and he died on January 19 without ever regaining consciousness.

A post mortem report said he had died as a result of cardiac arrest and hypothermia caused by drowning.

Senior Coroner Clare Bailey recorded that Mr Horvat died as the result of an accident.