Current:Home > StocksHutchinson Island rip current drowns Pennsylvania couple vacationing in Florida -NextGenWealth
Hutchinson Island rip current drowns Pennsylvania couple vacationing in Florida
View
Date:2025-04-24 11:16:32
A Pennsylvania couple vacationing on the beach in Florida drowned Thursday after getting caught in a rip current, local authorities said.
On Thursday afternoon, a mother and father who had traveled to Florida's Hutchinson Island with their six children got caught in a rip current while swimming off of Stuart Beach, the Martin County Sheriff's Office said.
The man and woman were identified as Brian Warter, 51, and Erica Wishard, 48, the sheriff's office said. They leave behind the six siblings, who are mostly teenaged, according to the sheriff's office.
The couple's children and emergency responders tried to save the couple and administered CPR on shore and later on an ambulance that took them to Cleveland Clinic North, a local hospital in Stuart, Florida.
"Those life-saving efforts continued in the ambulance and at the hospital where doctors gave it every last effort before declaring the couple deceased," the Martin County Sheriff's Office said in a post on Facebook.
Florida's Hutchinson Island is a 24-mile-long barrier island beach off Florida's east coast, near the city of Port St. Lucie.
Rip current off Hutchinson Island trapped family
The mother and father got caught in the rip current along with two of their teenaged children who were also swimming, the sheriff's office said.
The two teenagers were able to break free from the rip current, but their parents were not, authorities said. The couple's two children tried to help their parents get out of the rip current, but when it became too dangerous to do so, "they were forced to swim ashore," the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office tried to help the six children throughout the afternoon and evening Thursday, as other family members from Pennsylvania traveled to Florida to be with them, authorities said.
Why are rip currents dangerous?
Ocean experts say rip currents are dangerous because they flow quickly, and flow away from the shoreline at a perpendicular or acute angle. This means that someone in a rip current won't be able to swim directly back to shore.
Rip currents can reach speeds of over 8 feet per second, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is faster than Olympic swimmers.
Rip current can be hard to spot and if wave activity is already more intense at a beach, the rip currents will be stronger too, NOAA says.
The ways to get out of a rip current are to try to swim parallel to the shoreline, as opposed to swimming back in the direction of the shore, NOAA warns. Or, a swimmer could try to let the rip current carry them farther out into the ocean, making sure to keep their head above water. This can also become dangerous if a rip current pushes someone hundreds of yards offshore before breaking, NOAA's website says.
"The most important thing to remember if you are ever caught in a rip current is not to panic," the administration cautions. "Continue to breathe, try to keep your head above water, and don’t exhaust yourself fighting against the force of the current."
veryGood! (85)
Related
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Man police say shot his mother to death thought she was an intruder, his lawyer says
- Michelle Pfeiffer misses reported 'Scarface' reunion with Al Pacino at Oscars
- Four people found dead after West Virginia fire, body of suspect discovered in separate location
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Baby killed and parents injured in apparent attack by family dog, New Jersey police say
- Pressure on Boeing grows as Buttigieg says the company needs to cooperate with investigations
- CHUNG HA is ready for a new chapter: 'It's really important from now to share my stories'
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Saquon Barkley spurns Giants for rival Eagles on three-year contract
Ranking
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Burns, baby, Burns: New York Giants swing trade for Carolina Panthers star Brian Burns
- You Might’ve Missed Cillian Murphy’s Rare Appearance With Sons on 2024 Oscars Red Carpet
- Oil sheen off California possibly caused by natural seepage from ocean floor, Coast Guard says
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to get MRI on pitching elbow
- Inside Robert Downey Jr.'s Unbelievable Hollywood Comeback, From Jail to Winning an Oscar
- Biden proposes tax increase on fuel for private jets, casting it as making wealthy pay their share
Recommendation
The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
Kate Middleton and Prince William Spotted Leaving Windsor Castle Amid Photo Controversy
Horoscopes Today, March 10, 2024
Lady Gaga Defends TikToker Dylan Mulvaney Against Hate Comments
The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
If Ted Leonsis wants new arena for Wizards, Capitals, he and Va. governor need to study up
New lawsuit possible, lawyer says, after Trump renews attack on writer who won $83.3 million award
How one dog and her new owner brought kindness into the lives of many