A couple from Pennsylvania died during their vacation in Florida with their six kids due to a rip current.
Brian Warter, aged 51, and Erica Wishart, aged 48, found themselves in a dangerous situation while swimming with their two teenage children on Hutchinson Island on June 20th.
While the teenagers survived, their parents were unable to escape the rough ocean waters.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office provided a statement describing the frightening event. As stated in the release, the teenagers bravely tried to rescue their parents but were unable to overcome the strong current. Emergency services were promptly sent, and rescue operations began. Sadly, even though they were taken to a nearby hospital, Brian and Erica were declared deceased by the medical staff.
According to Cory Pippen, a representative from Martin County Fire Rescue, the water conditions on that Tuesday afternoon were extremely dangerous. Red flags were raised at the beach to warn swimmers about the hazardous riptide conditions. These flags are meant to notify beachgoers about potential dangers in the water, like strong rip currents.
Larry Warter, the father of Brian, revealed to CBS 12 News that his son and Erica had been in a romantic relationship for more than a year and were planning to get married. Erica was a mother of four children, while Brian was a father of two. They had decided to wait until all their children completed college before getting married. Their visit to Stuart, Florida, was an important event for them.
Larry Warter recalled how excited they were to go down, as it was their first time and they had all six kids with them. They had been planning it for more than a month.
Brian Warter’s parents showed how much they loved the couple. Larry Warter said, “You could tell just by being near them,” talking about the strong love between Brian and Erica. Susie Warter, Brian’s mom, mentioned that everyone who knew them adored the couple, and there was a lot of anticipation for their future.
The Warter family is grateful for the support they have received from their community. Larry Warter expressed, “We were surprised by all the help and support. We thought we were on our own, but we’re not.”
On a fundraising page, Wayne Sallurday offered a touching tribute to Erica. “Erica was simply an amazing person. She was a loving mother of two sons and two daughters; with her youngest son being adopted at a young age,” the post read.
Erica taught special needs children at an elementary school, then worked in the school library. She also volunteered a lot at her church. There’s so much more to say about her, but you probably already understand – she was truly one of the kindest people you could ever come across.
The community’s generous response to the tragedy is evident as the GoFundMe page created in their memory has collected more than $60,000.
The National Weather Service provides important guidance on rip currents on its website. It highlights that although rip currents don’t drag swimmers underwater, they can tire them out rapidly. Remaining calm is extremely important.
The website warns that fighting a rip current will waste your energy needed to stay safe. Instead of swimming straight to shore, swim parallel to the shore until you’re out of the current. After that, swim diagonally towards the shore. The service suggests not swimming alone and following the saying, “When in doubt, stay out!”.
This tragic event is a clear reminder of the risks associated with rip currents and the need to pay attention to safety alerts when swimming.
