Published on
A tragic accident occurred on Thursday afternoon when a Pennsylvania couple drowned in a rip current while vacationing with their six children on Hutchinson Island, Florida.
The victims, 51-year-old Brian Warter and 48-year-old Erica Wishard, were swimming with two of their teenage children when they were swept out to sea by a powerful rip current, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
The teenagers managed to escape the current and attempted to rescue their parents, but the conditions were too dangerous, forcing them to swim ashore without their parents.
Rescue responders found Warter and Wishard and administered CPR on shore, but unfortunately, the couple was declared dead at a nearby hospital.
The sheriff’s office has deployed its crisis intervention team to support the couple’s six children as they await the arrival of other family members from Pennsylvania.
Martin County Fire Rescue is evaluating ocean conditions to determine if the beach will remain open to the public in the coming days.
Rip currents, which flow away from the shore, can quickly pull swimmers out to sea. These currents typically travel at speeds of 1 to 2 feet per second, but some can reach up to 8 feet per second, faster than even the strongest Olympic swimmers, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
