Woman Tried Rescuing Her Children From Rip Current, Died From Injuries

Beachgoers at a Florida beach were urging for more warning signs in the shore after a woman died while trying to rescue her children from drowning when they were caught in a tidal current Saturday evening.

The incident happened in Lakeland, Polk County, at the southern end of Pass-A-Grille Beach.

Samar Aboukhdair, 36, took her six children and two of her neighbor’s kids to the beach on Saturday. Shortly after 6 p.m. EDT, four of the children got stuck in a strong rip current and started screaming. A rip current was a powerful, channeled current that occurred near beaches with breaking current, and flows seaward from the shore.

Several people nearby heard the screaming and rushed to the water to help. Aboukhdair, also got into the water, but she ended up getting stuck in the rip current, officers said.

Richard and Laura Grande were among the people who tried to help the children and the mother. The children were between the ages of 5 and 13, Fox 13 reported.

"You could just see the current pulling them out, the kids were screaming and crying," Laura Grande said.

Richard managed to pull one child out of the water, while Laura rescued another. Richard said Aboukhdair was “going on just trying to hold her baby up." One of the older children also jumped to attempt at rescuing the family, reported Tampa Bay Times. Two other bystanders, Greg Lynch and Scott Cooper, also attempted to save the children.

“I just jumped over the side of the pier and grabbed the little boy and then I saw the little girl next to him and grabbed her too. I helped them both back up onto the pier," Cooper, who has taken water rescue courses and was an avid swimmer, said.

"It was bad! I didn’t realize how strong the current was when I went in there," he said.

Aboukhdair was only pulled from the water by emergency crew St. Pete Fire Rescue who arrived at the scene. She was in critical condition by then, and was rushed to the Palms of Pasadena Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries Sunday.

The children were expected to recover soon, reports said, and Aboukhdair’s neighbors’ kids were reunited with their parents. Her children were however waiting with a family member for their father to fly back from another country.

Reports said the incident was still under investigation.

Richard and Laura Grande said the warning of strong rip currents posted on the Pass-A-Grille Beach were not enough of a safety measure.

"There's not one line to throw out, not safety jackets, not lifeguards," the couple mentioned.

Currently, there was only one sign at the beach warning of strong rip currents. Beachgoers are asking for more.

St. Pete Beach Mayor Al Johnson said the city was now looking into possible changes, including adding more number of signs at the beach and making them bigger and bolder so as to be not missed easily.

According to reports, St. Pete Beach authorities did not specify when the new boards will be put in place.