PIER JUMPERS WARNED THEY RISK DEATH

By Ross Findon - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Children leaping from Ryde Pier brought a warning from police. Picture by SOPHIE HALE.

RECKLESS thrill-seekers have been warned they are risking serious injury or death by tombstoning.
Police and coastguards were called out after reports of people jumping into the sea from Ryde Pier on Sunday.
On the same day a 20-year-old mainlander suffered a broken neck tombstoning from Southsea’s South Parade Pier, jumping from 30ft into just over 3ft of water.
Coastguard Mike Forsyth-Caffrey said anyone tombstoning was risking death.
“Around the Island there are people doing it at places such as Ventnor, where there are a lot of rocks, or at Ryde Pier where there are rocks and twisted metal from old structures.
“It is absolutely treacherous,” said Mr Forsyth-Caffrey, who urged anyone who saw people tombstoning to report it to either the coastguard or the police.
“People have been jumping off harbour walls for years but there is a crazy mentality now and people are doing more and more silly things.
“At the pier on Sunday they were jumping between the train lines, they could have been killed before they hit the water,” he said.

PIER JUMPERS WARNED THEY RISK DEATH

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