A 16-year-old boy has survived a fall into rough Atlantic waters after a metal grate collapsed beneath him on a fishing pier at Sebastian Inlet State Park in Florida.
Landen Williams was walking along the structure on Sunday, 25 October, when the section of walkway gave way during a period of unusually high tides. He plunged into the sea, losing his fishing rod as he fell.
Williams said he removed his boots, outer clothing and fishing equipment to make it easier to swim clear of the pier’s supports. Rather than fight the current, he concentrated on staying afloat as the water carried him towards the shore.
“I was just thanking the Lord that I was still alive. I was just happy to be alive,” he said.
Sebastian Inlet pier collapse prompts closure
Friends who saw him disappear tried to throw buoyancy rings into the water, but the rough conditions meant they could not reach him. Memphis Prince and several others then entered the surf and helped pull Williams to safety when he came close enough to the beach.
“Me and my other boys jumped in. Baker grabbed him up out of the water when he walked out. It was a scary moment in total,” Prince said.
Williams suffered cuts to his hands, rashes on his arms and continuing pain in his neck and back. Brevard County Fire Rescue assessed him at the scene but said he did not need to be taken to hospital.
Prince said the condition of the pier was a serious safety concern and claimed the grates needed urgent attention.
“It’s a safety issue. All of them need to be retightened,” he said.
Part of the Sebastian Inlet fishing pier was closed to the public by state park officials on Tuesday, 27 October. Officials have not said when repairs will be carried out or provided further details about the maintenance of the walkway.
