Who was Josh Graham? Texas dad dies while trying to rescue sons from riptide, wife remembers 'worst nightmare'
A Texas father sacrificed his life while saving his two sons from a dangerous riptide during a family trip to the beach on Saturday, April 11.
Angela Graham wrote on a GoFundMe page how she was with her husband Josh Graham and their children at Surfside Beach when the accident occurred about 50 feet offshore.
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"We lost the love of my life, my soulmate, the best father to my son and stepsons, a loving son and brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and a dear friend to so many," she wrote. "He died a hero saving our two oldest boys from drowning in a riptide in Surfside Beach, TX." Angela said she was grateful for the "countless strangers" who dove into the life-threatening ocean currents to save Graham, while she watched "helplessly" as her sons were rescued but her husband remained in the water.
"It feels as if this happened to someone else, like a horror movie, my worst nightmare," she continued. "Perhaps that is why I am able to find the strength to write this. I am torn to pieces and my soul has been ripped from my body." According to Josh Graham's Facebook page, the couple had celebrated their first wedding anniversary just last month.
Mike Lampson and Rodney Sanders were among the Samaritans who jumped into the ocean to help. "This interview's not for me, this is for Josh. We feel that we needed to tell his side of the story. He died protecting his kids, and he's the hero here," Lampson told KHOU. Sanders and others spent at least 20 minutes battling strong currents in the water before they were able to reach Graham, who was unresponsive by then.
“I’ve been going since I was 8, 9 years old, and that’s the roughest I’ve seen (the water),” Sanders said. According to KHOU, both Sanders and Lampson were trained in survival swimming in the military. Meanwhile, Lampson reportedly also has swift water rescue training from the time he was a fireman.
“Somebody brought a surfboard up and we got (Graham) onto the surfboard,” Lampson said. “I tried my best to start compressions right away, but the current was really strong and pretty much impossible, so we all made the decision to... link up arms and get him into the shore.”
Resuscitation efforts were resumed when an ambulance reached the scene. Sanders recalled how he walked Graham's son away from the scene to leave with another family member. “His kids got stuck in that rip current,” Sanders told KHOU. “Josh is the hero. He went out there. He paid the ultimate sacrifice. He gave his life for his kids."
The GoFundMe page is raising funds to cover funeral expenses, grief counseling, as well as college funds for the boys. At the time of writing, the campaign has raised nearly $30,955 of the $35,000 goal. That said, Graham's wife, Sanders, and Lampson are now hoping to bring more awareness to the danger of rip currents, which are narrow and strong flows of water that pull you offshore.
“Just know the signs of the water, how to get out of a rip current,” Sanders advised. “Swim away from it to the left or the right. Don’t swim head-on to it. Don’t swim away from it. If you swim head-on or away from it, it’s gonna take you," he added.
