By Marlyn Montilla
Jun 22, 2024, 3:26 PM EDT
A couple from Pennsylvania drowned after being swept away by a rip current off the coast of Hutchinson Island, Florida, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
The parents went swimming with two of their teenage children when they got into trouble while in the sea, officials said.
The fatalities were identified by the sheriff’s office as Brian Warter, 51, and his partner, Erica Wishard, 48. They were traveling with three children each and were part of a family of eight people who were on vacation in the state of Florida, the sheriff’s office said.
“According to our witnesses, they walked right into a rip current and were immediately overpowered by the power of the ocean,” said Deputy Chief John Budensiek and CNN reported.
The young people were able to free themselves from the current and tried to help the adults, but when it became too dangerous they were forced to swim to shore, the sheriff’s office explained in a statement.
“They are teenagers. They are not even 20 years old yet. They have gone through two dramatic scenarios,” Budensiek said.
Despite the efforts of Martin County Ocean Rescue, paramedics and doctors at Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital, the parents were not able to make it out of the water alive.
The minors were under the surveillance of the Martin County Sheriff’s Crisis Intervention Team, while they waited for other family members to arrive in Florida.
“They were on the beach and saw how (the parents) drowned. They observed resuscitation efforts on the beach. “They were in the hospital observing some resuscitation efforts, so they are extremely traumatized,” Budensiek added, according to WPEC.
Rip currents are located currents that flow from the coast into the ocean, and a person caught in them, even a very strong swimmer, could be swept away from shore within minutes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For its part, the United States Life Saving Association stated that rip currents, which generally form on sandbars and near structures such as piers and docks, account for more than 80% of rescues made by rescuers. on surf beaches.
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