On July 8 , teamwork between 80 stranger on a beach saved the lives of almost a dozen swimmers in Panama City , Florida . When 10 people got caught in a rip current offshore , beachgoers formed a human chain to rescue them from drowning , consort toThe Washington Postand thePanama City News Herald .
Roberta Ursrey and her husband , female parent , nephew , and boy were swimming at the beach on Saturday when her sons got caught up in a rip current and began cry for service . The respite of the family unit swam out to help , only to get catch up in the current themselves . Others who assay to rescue them got caught in the current , too . Ursrey told theNews Heraldthat the piddle was about 15 animal foot deep .
There was no lifeguard on obligation , but other swimmers back on the beach came up with a plan to help oneself : the great unwashed began forming a human chain out into the weewee . It depart with just a few volunteers and finally farm to about 80 people in total , some of whom could n’t swim themselves . Still , they ventured into the surf to facilitate salve the exhausted swimmer , who had been trample water for at least 20 minute .
Jessica Simmons and her husband Derek used boogie-woogie boards to swim past the human chain and accomplish Ursrey ’s tiddler , Noah and Stephen , and pass them back along the Sir Ernst Boris Chain toward the beach . Roberta Ursrey blacked out before she eventually arrive at the shoring with the help of Jessica . Roberta ’s mother , Barbara Franz , had a heart attack in the water .
An 60 minutes after the first individuals got entrance up in the current , all 10 of the swimmers were take back to shore . Several were taken to the hospital and were in unchanging condition as of July 11 .
According to theU.S. Lifesaving Association , rip currents are the cause of more than 80 percent of the rescue lifeguards perform on beaches . In the U.S. , approximately 100 the great unwashed drown each year as a issue . The tight - moving urine are difficultto navigate , even for the strong swimmers , and many masses who attempt to bring through others from rip currents overwhelm in the process — making this rescue method acting a particularly impressive and effective choice .
[ h / tThe Washington Post ]
