Drowning Family Saved by 100 Beach-Goers

When Roberta Ursery saw her two sons struggling in the water off Panama City Beach, she and two other family members swam out to help.  By the time Roberta realized her sons were caught in a riptide, she too was trapped in the same massive current and was also being carried out to sea.  After an unsuccessful attempt was made by several bystanders to rescue Roberta and her family, a total of nine people had become trapped in the shifting tide.

While law enforcement was waiting on a boat to arrive, a large group of beach-goers came together and decided there was no time to waste.  The family would be swept away if immediate action wasn’t taken.  Knowing it was futile to swim out to the struggling family and with no rescue boat, more than 100 people came together to form a human chain, locking hands and extending themselves from the beach out to the family.  Once they made contact, the entire chain reversed motion and pulled the terrified family back to safety.  You can see video and read more about this dramatic rescue here.