Lakeland Mother Of 6 Dies After Trying To Save Drowning Children

ST. PETE BEACH, FL -- Six children are now motherless following a weekend trip to the beach.

A 36-year-old mother of six died after trying to save four of her children who were caught in a rip current on Pass-A-Grille Beach.

Samar Aboukdair of the 1800 block of Stella Court East, Lakeland, took her children ages 5 to 13 along with two of her neighbor's children to the beach Saturday, Oct. 13. Four of the children were swimming just north of the Southwest Jetty before 6 p.m. when they got trapped in a rip current and began screaming for help.

Bystanders Greg Lynch of Floral City, Scott Cooper of Fort Meade, and Richard and Laura Grandy of Seminole pulled two of the children to safety. Aboukdair and another of her children jumped into the water and swam to help the other two children. In the process, Aboukdair also got caught up in the strong current.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue paramedics rescued the other two children and Aboukdair. They treated Aboukdair at the scene and then took her to the hospital in critical condition. Three of her children were also taken to the hospital to be treated and were later released.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said Aboukdair died just before 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 14, at Palms of Pasadena Hospital.

Officials are warning beach-goers to beware of rip currents along Tampa Bay beaches as a result of Hurricane Michael stirring up the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Rip currents are powerful, currents of water flowing horizontally away from shore. They typically extend from the shoreline, through the surf zone, and past the line of breaking waves. The strength and speed of a rip current can increase during periods of high waves, such as a hurricane or tropical storm.

These potentially deadly currents typically form at low spots or breaks in the sandbar and near jetties and piers -- areas that tend to attract swimmers. Once in a rip current, swimmers are pulled away from shore and panic when they try to swim back to shore against the current.

The United States Lifesaving Association estimates that more than 100 people die each year after being caught in a rip current, and 80 percent of water rescues are due to swimmers being caught in rip currents.

Aboukdair is the 25th person in Florida to die after being caught in a rip current, according to the National Weather Service. There have also been deaths on Siesta Key and Lido Beach this year.

The lifesaving association offered these tips to survive a rip current:

• Whenever possible, swim at a lifeguard protected beach.
• If caught in a rip current, remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.
• Don’t fight the current. Swim out of the current in a direction horizontal to the shoreline rather than directly toward the shore. Once you're out of the current, you can then swim to shore.
• If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water and draw attention to yourself by waving your arms and calling for help.
• Don't try to rescue a victim yourself. Find a lifeguard or call 911. Then yell instructions to the victim on how to escape the current.

Image via Pass-A-Grill Beach

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