A husband and wife from Buford died Tuesday after drowning in Gulf waters near a Destin resort. Rescue teams were able to save their adult son’s life.
What We Know: The couple, ages 57 and 54, were vacationing with their 26-year-old son when all three began struggling in the water about 75 to 100 yards offshore of 1040 U.S. Highway 98. Witnesses spotted the family in distress and a bystander borrowed a boogie board to attempt a rescue.
The Good Samaritan successfully brought the son to shore. Beach safety personnel pulled the mother from the water while Destin Beach Safety and an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit located the father. Emergency responders performed extensive lifesaving measures on both parents, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
What We Don’t Know: The exact cause of the drowning remains unclear. Officials have not released the identities of the family members or specified what led to their distress in the water. The condition of the surviving son has not been disclosed.
In Context: Yellow flags were flying at the beach during the time of the drowning, indicating moderate surf and current conditions. These warnings signal potentially dangerous swimming conditions that require extra caution from beachgoers.
Rip currents and changing surf conditions along the Gulf Coast can quickly overwhelm even experienced swimmers, particularly when multiple people are caught in the same dangerous area.
Take Action: Beachgoers should always check flag conditions before entering the water and stay close to shore when yellow or red flags are posted. If caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore until you escape the current, then swim back to land at an angle.
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Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
