Couple drowns in rip current while on vacation with their kids in Florida
Written by ABC Audio All Rights Reserved on June 21, 2024
(HUTCHINSON ISLAND, Fla.) — A Pennsylvania couple drowned in a rip current while on vacation in Florida with their six children, according to authorities.
The parents, 51-year-old Brian Warter and 48-year-old Erica Wishard, were swimming on Hutchinson Island Thursday afternoon when the couple and two of their teenage children were swept out to sea by a rip current, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.
The teens were able to escape and they tried to rescue their parents, “but it became too dangerous and they were forced to swim ashore,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Responders found Warter and Wishard and gave them CPR on shore, the sheriff’s office said. But the couple was declared dead at a hospital, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office said its crisis intervention team deputy is helping the children as they wait for other family members to come meet them in Florida.
Martin County Fire Rescue said it will evaluate conditions Friday morning before deciding if the ocean will be open to the public.
A rip current, which flows out toward the ocean, can quickly pull a swimmer away from the shore. Rip currents usually reach a speed of 1 to 2 feet per second, but some can clock in at 8 feet per second, which is faster than an Olympic swimmer, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Click here for what to know about escaping a rip current.
ABC News’ Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
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