A Dublin student died from injuries sustained after he got into difficulty in rough sea conditions at a popular bathing area in south Dublin three years ago, an inquest has heard.
Dareen Fontanilla (25) from Liffey Terrace, Ballyowen, Lucan, Co Dublin, was pronounced dead at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on June 3rd 2021 after being airlifted there by an Irish Coast Guard helicopter after being pulled from the water at White Rock off the Vico Road in Dalkey.
A sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard several other people who had gone to the location to swim had stayed out of the water due to rough sea conditions.
The Vico Baths is a well-known bathing spot that has been popularised by a number of celebrities including actor, Matt Damon and singer, Harry Styles.
The deceased’s mother, Maureen Cruz, described her son – who was a student of culinary arts at Technological University Dublin – as being “well and fit” with no concern over his health at the time.
Ms Cruz said she had last spoken to her son earlier that day after she returned from working a night shift.
She said he had told her that he intended to go for a run in Phoenix Park later that morning.
Day of incident
Ms Cruz fought back tears as she recalled how two gardaí called to her home to inform her that her son was in a high dependency unit at Beaumont Hospital after getting into difficulty while swimming.
A friend of the deceased, Christian Sung, told the hearing that they had decided to go for a swim at the Vico Baths that afternoon.
Mr Sung said he had swum at the location before, but it was the first time for his friend.
The witness remembered sensing “a slight pull” by the tide after he jumped in the water while Mr Fontanilla had a smoke but felt it was “nothing too dangerous” before he got back out of the water.
He gave evidence that his friend had not made any comment about the sea conditions before getting into the water.
Mr Sung said he got back into the water a second time when he felt the waves were much stronger and he soon became tired and got out again.
The witness said he jumped back in the sea after hearing someone observe that his friend was struggling in the water.
However, Mr Sung said he had to turn around as he got near Mr Fontanilla for his own safety as he was becoming too exhausted.
He heard his friend shouting for help before becoming tired and appearing to be in a daze as he was carried further out to sea.
The inquest heard that someone threw a ring buoy towards Mr Fontanilla, but he was too far out from the shore to reach it.
Mr Sung said his friend had treaded water for about 10 minutes before floating on his back.
However, he said Mr Fontanilla’s was subsequently flipped over by a large wave so that he was faced down in the water.
Mr Sung recalled seeing other rescuers help to drag his friend’s body out of the water before it was winched aboard an Irish Coast Guard helicopter.
Sea conditions
In a statement, Anna Hoelscher Procajlo, said she had raised the alarm about the deceased after seeing him being dragged out to sea by the waves.
Ms Hoelscher Procajlo said she had intended to swim but the sea was “too rough.”
Another swimmer, Éle O’Hare, gave evidence that she had also decided not to get into the water because of sea conditions.
However, Ms O’Hare said she got into the water after noticing that a male swimmer did not seem to be able to make it back to shore.
She described reaching Mr Fontanilla but struggled to turn him on his back as he was quite heavy.
Ms O’Hare said she was advised to return to shore by a garda who had also jumped into the water to assist with the rescue.
She told the victim’s family that the sea conditions became “a whole lot worse” after he had got into the water.
“He was really unlucky. The weather turned suddenly,” she added.
Another eyewitness, John Donovan, said the deceased was “unresponsive and not breathing” when he was taken out of the water.
Garda Paul Hughes gave evidence of being alerted to a drowning incident and removing some of his uniform before jumping in the sea.
Garda Hughes said he noticed a female swimmer who had tried to rescue Mr Fontanilla was also getting into difficulty in the water and advised her to turn around.
The witness said he managed to put Mr Fontanilla’s head on his shoulder but he struggled to keep both their heads above the waves in the rough sea.
He recounted how other helpers managed to pull the victim out of the water, while he struggled to get out of the water due to exhaustion.
The inquest heard both gardaí and members of the public assisted in resuscitation efforts before the ICG helicopter arrived.
Garda Hughes said he also needed to attend hospital for treatment for a lung infection as a result of ingesting seawater.
A pathologist, Deirdre Timlin, said Mr Fontanilla had suffered acute heart failure due to drowning but otherwise had no underlying health conditions.
Dr Timlin said the amount of water he would have ingested could have been “overwhelming.”She confirmed that no traces of drugs or alcohol were found in the victim’s body.
The pathologist also remarked that White Rock was “quite a rough spot.”
“There probably should be some kind of lifeguard working there,” she added.
Returning a verdict of accidental death, the coroner Aisling Gannon expressed her condolences to Mr Fontanilla’s family over “a very distressing experience.”
By Seán McCárthaigh
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