80 People Formed a Human Chain to Save Two Boys From Drowning

There’s always a silver lining in life--even during moments of crisis. This silver lining occurred during a dangerous riptide where 80 Panama City Beach-goers created a human chain to save a family from drowning.

When Roberta Ursrey and her husband saw their two young sons struggling against the tide 100 yards out from shore, several other Ursrey family members along with a nearby couple, jumped in the water to help them and got caught in the current.

There wasn’t a lifeguard on duty and the situation was growing more and more dire, so in a united effort, beach goers began linking arms and heading into the ocean.

One onlooker, Jessica Mae Simmons knew she could save those caught in the riptide due to her strong swimming skills. While some may have been timid about heading out into the sea, Simmons felt confident she could bring everyone to safety.

Simmons and her husband grabbed two boogie boards and paddled down the human chain until she reached the swimmers. She rescued them one by one and when everyone returned to the beach, the crowd cheered.

Simmons said she stayed calm because she strongly felt everyone would be okay in the end, especially when everyone pulled their strength together to save perfect strangers.

“I was calm because I KNEW they was coming out alive. I knew how to get out of a rip tide and I knew I could swim for long periods of time. But what really got me was how [an] entire BEACH jumped into action to save these people. People who couldn't even swim was part of that human chain. They wanted to help that bad.”

Thanks to onlookers’ willingness to leap into action and Simmons’ bravery, beachgoers saved multiple lives that day.

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