A Florida father is dead after he was caught in a rip current while trying to save his son and two family friends from the same fate last week.
Mark Bryson and his wife of 26-year Lori McElligott offered their daughter a trip to Daytona Beach for her 7th birthday without realizing that it will end in tragedy.
“If you were to tell me that this is how it would have unfolded, I would have never believed you,” the grieving woman said.
On Friday, the father and his youngest child were at a splash pad at the hotel when he heard calls for help from his son and two friends getting caught in a rip current.
“They all started calling for help and without hesitation, he got up and he ran to them,” McElligott recalled.
Bryson saved the three people but lost his life in the process.
“He was not going to lose anybody on his watch. And he didn't,” she added.
Volusia County Beach Safety officials are warning visitors of hazardous rip current conditions that could pull “even the strongest swimmers.”
“That's why it's so important to swim in front of those lifeguard towers. They can actually see you caught in a rip current before you even realize it sometimes,” Deputy Chief Tammy Malphurs said.
