>>VIC MICOLUCCI: THE DROWNING DEATH OF ATTORNEY PAGE PATE IS DEMONSTRATING THE DANGERS
>> OF CURRENTS. IN THE OCEAN
AND IN IN LUTZ HATE WAS A
WELL-KNOWN DEFENSE ATTORNEY IN
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND A LEGAL
ANALYST FOR US HERE AT NEWS
FOR JAX. HE WAS INCREDIBLY
INTELLIGENT, ACCOMMODATING AND
KIND. THIS HAPPENED IN SAINT
SIMONS ISLAND OVER THE WEEKEND
TO GLYNN COUNTY. RESCUERS SAY
HE WAS TRYING TO SAVE HIS
TEENAGE SON FROM A CURRENT.
HIS SON MADE IT TO THE SHORE.
PAGE PATE DID NOT. LIFEGUARDS
SAY CURRENTS ARE INCREDIBLY
DANGEROUS IN THE OCEAN. OF
COURSE, BUT THEY CAN BE WORSE
ALONG INLETS LIKE WHERE PAGE
PATE AND HIS SON WERE
SWIMMING. AND WHEN SOMEONE IS
TRYING TO SAVE ANOTHER PERSON,
IT GETS EVEN RISKIER. LET’S
BRING IN JACKSONVILLE BEACH
OCEAN RESCUE LIEUTENANT MACK
SURVEY KNEE AND MAX, SADLY, WE
HAVE SEEN THIS SCENARIO MANY
TIMES BEFORE SOMEONE DIES,
TRYING TO HELP SOMEBODY ELSE
WHO’S IN DISTRESS IN THE
WATER. CORRECT?
>> YEAH, IT’S YOU KNOW, IT’S A
VERY TRAGIC THAT HAS GONE ON
AND THAT WE SEE A LOT. THEY
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES AT
HAPPENS IS PROFESSIONAL
TRAINED RESCUERS ATTEMPT TO
RESCUE SOMEONE DROWNING HOW
DANGEROUS ARE CURRENTS BOTH AT
THE BEACHES AND IN THE INLAND.
SO THE CURRENTS ARE EXTREMELY
YOU KNOW, IN OCEAN AND IN
LANSING, THE RIVER, YOU KNOW,
WE REALLY NEED TO REMIND
SWIMMERS, YOU KNOW, BEFORE
GOING INTO WATER CHECK WITH
THE LOCAL LIFEGUARD OR THE
LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
AREA ON THE CURRENT WE TALK
ABOUT RIP CURRENTS ALL THE
TIME, RIGHT? ESPECIALLY LIVING
AT THE BEACH. WE SEE THAT THAT
IS A CONSTANT DANGER AND THE
CONCERN. BUT THERE’S OTHER
CURRENT STATE ALSO CAUSE
PROBLEMS. THERE REALLY ARE,
YOU KNOW, ARE RIP CURRENTS ARE
SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS
CURRENTS IN THE OCEAN. BUT IN
THE INLET, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE
CREEPING CURRENT. YOU HAD
INSHORE HOLES AT CAUSE FOR A
MORE OF A RUSHING WATER. AND,
YOU KNOW, IN THE INLETS WE SEE
IN JACKSON, WHETHER YOU KNOW,
THE HUGUENOT AREA OR IN SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY, YOU KNOW, LOTS
OF DANGEROUS CONDITIONS THAT
CAUSE JUST FROM INLAND AREA
ITSELF. MAX, WE’RE LOOKING AT
VIDEO HERE. I’VE BEEN IN RIP
CURRENTS WITH YOURSELF WITH
SOME OF THE OTHER GUARDS IN
JACKSONVILLE BEACH TO
DEMONSTRATE HOW TO GET OUT.
OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A
CALCULATED AREA. WE HAVE
FLOTATION DEVICES. BUT I WANT
TO ASK YOU THIS. IF SOMEBODY
FALLS INTO A SITUATION, AN
EMERGENCY EVENT LIKE WHAT
HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND WITH
HATE IN HIS SON. WHAT WHAT
SHOULD YOU DO? THE VERY FIRST
THING THAT YOU NEED TO DO IS
CALL WE HAVE GONE TOO MANY
INCIDENTS TO WHERE 9-1-1, WAS
DELAYED AND BEING CALLED. THE
VERY FIRST THING YOU DO IS
CALL 9-1-1. AND THEN THE
SECOND THING YOU DO IS KEEP AN
EYE ON THAT PERSON AT ALL
TIMES SO THAT YOU CAN POINTED
HIM OUT TO THE RESCUERS AS
THEY ARRIVE ON TRADITIONALLY,
WE TALKED ABOUT REACH, THROW
THAT’S WHAT I LEARNED WHEN I
WAS BECOMING A LIFEGUARD. IS
THAT STILL RELEVANT? YOU KNOW,
IT’S RELEVANT TO THE AREA THAT
YOU’RE IN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
IN. LET’S WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
OCEAN. YOU CAN’T REALLY REACH,
YOU KNOW, THROW IN IT’S IF YOU
DO CHOOSE TO GO, YOU NEED TO
BRING A FLOTATION DEVICE WITH
YOU IN A FLOTATION DEVICE IS
NOT GOING TO BE JUST FOR THE
VICTIM. IT’S ALSO GOING TO BE
FOR YOU YOURSELF. SO YOU GUYS
CAN FLOAT ON THAT FLOTATION
DEVICE WAITING FOR RESCUERS TO
COME. BRING YOU BACK INTO
SHORE. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
BEST FLOTATION DEVICES TO HAVE
ON HAND? YOU KNOW, THE BEST
FLOTATION DEVICE IN OPEN
WATERS IS GOING TO BE LIKE
THAT SURFBOARD PADDLEBOARD.
MAYBE A, YOU KNOW, THE WORSE,
A TYPE 3 LIFE JACKET. BUT YOU
DON’T WANT TO BRING SOMETHING
LIKE A POOL NOODLE OR A POOL
FLOATY AS THAT’S ACTUALLY
GOING TO CAUSE YOU TO STRUGGLE
IN THE WATER AS YOU GET
THROUGH THE IMPACT ZONE, WHICH
THEN COULD CAUSE EVEN MORE OF
A PROBLEM, OK? SO CERTAINLY
SOME THINGS IT COULD SLIP OFF.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: AND WE KNOW
THE SCENARIO. I MEAN, THIS IS
THE DANGER BECAUSE YOU’RE
GOING OUT THERE TO RESCUE
SOMEBODY WHO’S STRUGGLING AND
THEY’RE PANICKING. THEY MIGHT
NOT BE IN THE RIGHT MINDSET
AND THEY COULD UNINTENTIONALLY
TRY TO PULL YOU UNDER. THEY
CAN. YOU ONE OF THE BIGGEST
PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IN
RESCUING IN TEACHING ABOUT
RESCUES IS THE DANGER OF
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: THE
UNDERLYING ISSUE, WHICH IS
WHAT THE VICTIM IS GOING TO DO
TO THE RESCUE OR SO. AND ANY
TIME THAT YOU ATTEMPT TO
RESCUE SOMEONE, YOU NEED TO
ALWAYS BE WITHIN ARM’S REACH
AWAY, TRYING TO GET THAT
FLOTATION DEVICE TO SOMEBODY
OK? SO, MAX, LET’S RECAP. IT’S
CALL 9-1-1. HAVE YOUR EYES ON
THE VICTIM. OBVIOUSLY, IF IT’S
A LOVED ONE, YOU’RE PROBABLY
NOT GOING TO STAY ON. THE
SHORE NOT GOING TO WAIT. BUT
THE GOING HAVE THAT FLOTATION
DEVICE, A SURFBOARD, A
PADDLEBOARD, SOMETHING LIKE
THAT THAT YOU CAN HAVE AND AS
AN EXTRA STAND, EVEN BOARD
WOULD DO AS WELL AS WELL.
ABSOLUTELY. LIEUTENANT MACK
SURVEY KNEE AND WITH
JACKSONVILLE BEACH OCEAN
RESCUE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
TO YOUR TEAM AS WELL. FOR ALL
THAT YOU DO. IF YOU WANT MORE
SAFETY INFORMATION, YOU CAN
READ THIS STORY. WE POSTED IT