A 44-year-old father of four from Massachusetts dove into the water off Salisbury Beach on Wednesday to try and save one of his sons from a dangerous rip current but unfortunately died afterwards, according to WBZ News.
Simard “had been enjoying the day with family” at the Massachusetts beach Wednesday afternoon, Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker told WBZ News. While the son was in the water, the current reportedly pulled Sinard’s son too far from shore for him to swim back.
The son began screaming for help, and Gary rushed into the dangerous waters, a local witness told the outlet. Two strangers managed to jump in and save his son, bringing along four other children in the process, per WBZ News. However, the two good samaritans reportedly couldn’t find Simard.
“The kid was going further, and then the dad was running out. Then the dad was also yelling ‘Help.’ I had no choice. I had to run out there,” Kenny Crosby, one of the good samaritans, told the outlet. “Small, teenage kid. His dad looked like he was struggling. The kid grabbed my hand. We started swimming, and I don’t know. It was just like survival mode.”
Police and firefighters responded and eventually found Simard, and EMTs performed CPR on him, per WBZ. Although authorities rushed Simard to the hospital, he reportedly later died there. (RELATED: Mother Drowns Trying To Save Son In New Hampshire As Father Rescues Other Son Trapped In Boulders)
Father dies after trying to save son from Salisbury Beach rip current @TiffanyChanWBZ reports https://t.co/h5jIS7tN8e
— WBZ | CBS News Boston (@wbz) September 21, 2023
Gary Simard’s father praised the strangers and said they made the correct but difficult decision to save his grandson before trying to save his son, WBZ reported.
This tragic occurrence has not been the only incident of its kind.
A Massachusetts man drowned trying to save his wife and son while they were in a fast-flowing river in New Hampshire in August. Similarly, a father drowned in a New Jersey river after saving his three children from its hazardous waters back in August.