Massachusetts man drowns while rescuing son and niece from rip current in Florida

By Beth Germano

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    HALIFAX, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Halifax, Massachusetts Army veteran and football coach is being remembered as a hero after family members say he drowned while saving his son and niece from a rip current on a Florida beach.

Florida drowning It happened April 24 at Fernandina Beach, which is about 35 miles north of Jacksonville.

Family members say Joshua Curtis, 38, rushed into the water when his 6-year-old son Owen and niece got stuck in a strong rip current. While he rescued the children, Curtis drowned.

“He was probably trying to keep them up and at the same time he was going under. So I think he did everything he could to just keep those two kids afloat,” said Lance Jones, who lives nearby and helped rescue the children. “The hardest thing was Owen and just the sheer look of panic on his face. He just kept saying, ‘I can’t swim, I can’t swim, my dad said he’s drowning.’ I said, ‘Hey buddy, I got you, we gotta swim in.'”

Curtis, who is survived by his wife and son, had only been in Florida for several days. The family lived in Halifax, Massachusetts but would often visit his hometown in Florida.

“He’s a warrior and he sacrificed his life for the children,” said Curtis’ mother, Dawn Wall.

“It is with great pride and sadness that we say goodbye to a man that embodies what it means to be a soldier, father, husband and ultimately a hero,” said Curtis’ family in a statement.

Massachusetts football coach death Curtis served in the Army for 15 years and was also a football coach for the Silver Lake Warriors, a youth football program serving children in Kingston, Plympton and Halifax.

“His impact on the Warrior family was immediate and lasting. His son had just completed his first year of football and Josh was preparing to take on the role of head coach for our Mighty Mites this upcoming season. His passion, leadership and kindness will be deeply missed on and off the field,” the program said in a statement posted on their Facebook.

A celebration of life in memory of Curtis was held Tuesday night in Florida. The family is also thanking first responders who they said worked so hard to save his life.

“He was always joyous, I had never seen him without a smile,” said cousin Chris Wall.

Joshua Curtis with his wife and son in a family photo at his memorial. Curtis family “The comfort comes, in anything, is that God got us there at the right time to be there for those kids, and knowing the legacy Josh has left,” said Jones. “Everyone in his family and his friends that knew him talked about what a man he was. His legacy will live on through Owen.”

What is a rip current? Rip currents are narrow columns of water flowing rapidly away from the beach.

About 100 people drown from rip currents along U.S. beaches each year, according to the United States Lifesaving Association. If you find yourself caught in one, swim parallel to the shore until you’re out of its grip.

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