Couple Drowns on Florida Vacation in Front of Their 6 Kids

A Pennsylvania couple tragically drowned while on vacation in Florida with their six children, authorities said.

Brian Warter, 51, and Erica Wishard, 48, were at Stuart Beach on Hutchinson Island on Thursday afternoon when they, along with two of their teenage children, were swept away by a rip current, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said. 

“The kids were able to break the current and attempted to help their parents, but it became too dangerous, and they were forced to swim ashore,” officials said in the press release. 

The parents were eventually pulled from the water by Martin County Ocean Rescue, which immediately began performing CPR until an ambulance arrived at the scene. 

“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 sheriff’s office said. 

A crisis intervention team assisted the couple’s children throughout the day as they waited for other family members to retrieve them from Florida.

The family was visiting from Chester County, Pennsylvania, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.