A Georgia father of four died after he entered a rip current at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to rescue a young girl who had become caught in the dangerous water.
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Derrick Moore, 47, from Loganville, Georgia, entered the ocean near 10th Avenue South after the girl became caught in a rip current, according to Myrtle Beach police and reports from WRAL News.
Moore managed to bring the girl to safety, but the rip current then pulled him underwater. Authorities later found his body near 11th Avenue South.
The incident occurred after lifeguards had gone off duty for the day. Myrtle Beach police and fire officials responded to a report of a missing swimmer at around 8 p.m. local time. Emergency responders learned that Moore had entered the water after the young girl encountered the rip current.
Derrick Moore Didn’t Know The Life He Was Saving
Moore did not know the girl before he attempted to rescue her, his daughter told WRAL News. His family identified him after authorities recovered his body. His daughter described the family’s grief in a statement.
“We loved him and are truly heartbroken that he’s gone,” she said. “He was a great father and we are all going to miss him.”
Moore leaves behind four children.
The identity and condition of the girl Moore saved have not been publicly disclosed.
Per the outlet, a man who identified himself as the girl’s uncle later commented on a social media post from one of Moore’s grieving sons. The man said Moore had rescued both him and his niece during the incident.
“He saved me and my niece. I am so sorry,” he wrote. “My heart goes out to the family. I’m trying to contact the family.”
The young girl survived the encounter after Moore reached her, while Moore lost his life in the same rip current. His final act left his family grieving while the people he tried to help remembered his intervention.