When Will This Heat Wave End in NJ?
June 21, 202419-Year-Old Driver Arrested for DUI After Ocean County Crash
June 22, 2024
Tragic Drowning Incident: Pennsylvania Parents Caught in Rip Current on Florida Vacation
According to 6abc.com, a rip current killed a Chester County, Pennsylvania couple who were on vacation with their six children off Hutchinson Island, which is close to Port St. Lucie, Florida.
The victims have been identified as
Brian Warter, 51, and Erica Wishard, 48.
The man and woman, identified as 51-year-old Brian Warter and 48-year-old Erica Wishard, along with their six mostly teenage children, started their Florida vacation day on the beach.
While in the water, the couple and two of the teens got swept out by a rip current. The kids were able to break the current and attempted to help their parents, but it became too dangerous and they were forced to swim ashore.
Martin County Ocean Rescue located the victims and began CPR on shore. Those life-saving efforts continued in the ambulance and at the hospital where doctors gave it every last effort before declaring the couple deceased.
A Martin County Sheriff’s Crisis Intervention Team Deputy assisted the couple’s children throughout the day and evening as they await the arrival of other family members into Florida.
WHAT IS A RIP CURRENT?
A rip current is a channel of water that flows out into the ocean from shore. The motion and waves of the ocean are constantly changing the sand on the bottom.
Water going back out to sea takes the shortest path and sometimes all that water flows into a narrow area, like a depression between two sand bars, creating a rip current that can pull swimmers away from shore.
Rip currents can be anywhere from about the length of a car to over half a football field.
IS IT THE SAME AS AN UNDERTOW?
It is not an undertow. A rip current will pull swimmers out to sea, but won't pull them under. The currents are temporary and follow the dips and rises of the ocean floor instead of a constant flow. That's why the term "rip tide" is a misnomer, because tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon.
WHAT IF YOU GET CAUGHT BY A RIP CURRENT?
If you have a boogie board or other flotation device, hold on, Reed said. The current won't pull you under. "People drown from fear and panic. They don't know what to do.
They will dump their boogie boards and go under. Instead, ride it out. The water will eventually stop pulling out. Or, swim parallel to shore to get out of the rip current. But don't swim against it. Some rip currents flow at 8 feet per second, which is faster than Olympic swimmers.
HOW CAN I STAY SAFE?
Swim near a lifeguard stand. Also, talk to lifeguards, who can tell you how bad conditions are before you get in the water. And listen to their advice. Learn How to Swim Safely at the Beach.
