Man dies, days after rescue from rough surf at Emerald Isle
One of four swimmers pulled from rough surf Sunday near Emerald Isle has died. Robert Ray Patterson, 48, of Jacksonville, died at Carolina East Medical Center on Tuesday.
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Authorities received a call for swimmers in distress near the Bogue Inlet Pier at about 2 p.m. on Sunday. By the time first responders reached the beach, four swimmers had been pulled ashore by surfers, according to NBC affiliate WITN.
Yellow warning flags, indicating potentially high surf or dangerous currents, were flying at the Emerald Isle beach on Sunday, authorities said.
Patterson's is the sixth drowning death along the central North Carolina coast in the past month, with rip currents blamed for at least four of the deaths:
- Wake Forest High School seniors Ian Lewis, 18, and Paige Merical, 17, were caught in a rip current on April 19 while on spring break in Emerald Isle. Lewis' body washed ashore three days later, while Merical died at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville six days after the accident.
- Justin Andrew Hinds, 28, a Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune, was pulled from the water off Emerald Isle on May 4.
- Austin Potter, 24, of Kenly, and a 5-year-old boy he was playing with in the surf were pulled out by a rip current off Atlantic Beach last Tuesday and died.
Experts advise swimming parallel to the shore when caught in a rip current instead of fighting against it. Once you're out of the current, you can then head to shore. If you're unable to swim out, float or tread water till you get out and can swim to shore.
If you're still unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by facing the shore, waving your arms and yelling for help.
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