Driver dies in Beachy Head plunge

10:10am Saturday 13th October 2012 in News By Siobhan Ryan

A driver has died after the car he was in plunged 400ft from Beachy Head.

The man, whose name has not been revealed, was thrown clear of the vehicle and airlifted to hospital by coastguard helicopter last night after lifeboat crews braved challenging conditions to try to save him.

The vehicle plunged off the notorious East Sussex suicide spot to the east of the lighthouse shortly before 6.30pm.

Police and the coroner are investigating how and why the vehicle went off the cliffs.

Both Eastbourne lifeboats battled the dark and a heavy surf to get to the scene and were surprised to find the driver alive on the beach.

The lifeboat doctor was transferred ashore to administer first aid and to stabilise his condition.

He was transferred with the lifeboat doctor to a coastguard helicopter and taken directly to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

But a Sussex Police spokesman confirmed that the man died in hospital later.

Eastbourne RNLI spokesman Bob Jeffery said: "The man was thrown from the vehicle and when we got there we were expecting the worst but we found he was alive and luckily we had the doctor onboard.

"It was dreadful conditions in the dark and with a heavy surf and one crewman had to swim ashore as we could not get the inshore lifeboat in.

"The operation took around three-and-a-half hours as the coastguard helicopter had to come back to pick up the crew who went ashore."

Comments(11)

StevieD says...
11:02am Sat 13 Oct 12

Fantastically brave, but should these people be risking thier lives for someone who obviously was determined to end thier own? You can't drive a car off there by accident.

Report this post »

Nathan_Adler says...
1:26pm Sat 13 Oct 12

No doubt this was suicide and the gentleman involved must have been in a dark, dark place for him to undertake such a tragic thing.

May his troubled soul rest in a palace of happiness that he was obviously unable to reach in this life.

Report this post »

Hovite says...
1:58pm Sat 13 Oct 12

The worst part of this horrific story is that it wasn't an instant end and I hope he was gone before he died.

Report this post »

getThisCoalitionOut says...
6:18pm Sat 13 Oct 12

A lot of people don't die when they throw themselves over Beachy Head as a lot of the cliff face is not straight down, there are shelves which people fall onto. They end up very badly injured. It is so sad that people think of suicide - there needs to be more done to reach out to people who feel like this and to help them through a troubled time in their lives. Rethink are a wonderful organisation who help people after they've tried to committ suicide.

Report this post »

lorrie1 says...
6:46pm Sat 13 Oct 12

I remember a car drove over the cliff in Roedean a few years back, It was a skoda, the engine being in the back saved this mans life as the car landed on its boot, if I rember right he only disslocated his shoulder and walked away with a few bruises.


R.I.P

Report this post »

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
7:35pm Sat 13 Oct 12

Hovite wrote:
The worst part of this horrific story is that it wasn't an instant end and I hope he was gone before he died.
The chap wanted to go and wanted to go this way...lets stop avoiding the elephant in the room.

Report this post »

Hovite says...
8:15pm Sat 13 Oct 12

What you talking about, there is no elephant in my room. Nothing to avoid here.

Report this post »

jdw1951 says...
8:29pm Sat 13 Oct 12

This is someones loved one. A father, son, husband or brother.
Personally I have never been in such a dark place that I have thought of committing suicide and I hope that I never will be.
I also hope that nobody reading this sad article feels that they have no other option than to kill themselves.

Who ever you are RIP

Report this post »

pebble counter says...
8:48pm Sat 13 Oct 12

Hovite wrote:
What you talking about, there is no elephant in my room. Nothing to avoid here.
God you see things black and white don't you?

Report this post »

Nurse123 says...
10:34pm Sat 13 Oct 12

Some of the comments I think are a little harsh! This young man was I'm sure very troubled and felt he could see no other way out but to end his life in such a tragic way.
RIP

Report this post »

neilchi says...
10:35pm Sat 13 Oct 12

First of all please don't take swipes at one another when this is about someone's life. The world is full of different people and there are bound to be people who you just don't get on with.

I really feel for the poor person. Feeling suicidal is beyond being in a dark place.

If you are feeling low and you've been to your GP and your not getting help then contact Rethink or Mind. They are fantastic charities that offer practical solutions to feeling low. They don't just throw pills at people and say 'see you in month'. You can also pop into the Mental Health Drop Inn Center at Buckingham Road and ask to see a member of staff there.

Please do seek help if your feeling suicidal. I know life can be hard and everyone circumstances are different and feeling are different but problems, over time, can be overcome.

Best wishes to all.

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree