A young man from Oklahoma on vacation in the Panhandle perished in the Gulf of Mexico near Panama City Beach.
What Happened?
A Pennsylvania family’s Florida vacation came to a tragic end when both parents drowned when trapped in a rip current in the Atlantic Ocean, officials said. Two of their six children attempted to save them but were overcome by the swiftly rising water, according to a news release from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office named the victims as Brian Warter, 51, and Erica Wishard, 48. It happened around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 20, on Hutchinson Island, approximately 120 miles north of Miami.
According to Panama City Beach Fire Rescue, the 19-year-old victim was caught in a rip current Thursday afternoon on the beach behind Sharky’s Beachfront Restaurant. A couple died on a Florida vacation with their six children after being caught in a rip current. Lifeguards were able to rescue the man from the ocean and back onto shore. First responders began CPR on the scene before taking the man to Ascension Sacred Heart Bay in critical condition. The young man was pronounced deceased at the hospital. A single red flag was flying at the time.