In your uplifting news of the day, strangers on the beach formed a human chain in order to save a family of six from getting swept away by a riptide.
It happened in Panama City Beach in Flordia. Jessica Simmons, a witness to the event, noticed flashing lights, a police truck, and people crying for help about 100 yards beyond the beach, according to The Washington Post. The family of six, four adults and two boys, were struggling in the current. There was no lifeguard on duty.
This is when Simmons and other strangers fearlessly helped out, with many shouting to “form a human chain.” Roberta Ursrey, one of the people caught in the waves, heard the shouts. She originally jumped in to help her sons, Noah, 11, and Stephen, 8, who had gotten separated from their family while on their boogie boards.
The other two adults fighting for their lives were Tabatha Monroe and her wife, Brittany, who were in Panama City for a birthday getaway. They were also strangers who heard the boys’ cries, and went out to help–only to become trapped themselves.
About an hour after the incident first started, everyone safely reached shore. In a Facebook post, Simmons ended up writing about how inspiring it was to see so many people come together and help a family out:
“To see people from different races and genders come into action to help TOTAL strangers is absolutely amazing to see!! People who didn’t even know each other went HAND IN HAND IN A LINE, into the water to try and reach them. Pause and just IMAGINE that.”
Read her full post here:
