A 46-year-old man was determined to save his family after their boat capsized in a storm off the Maryland coast leaving them astray in jellyfish-infested waters. John Franklin Riggs literally swam 5 hours in the dark before he was able to hit the shore and get help. Now thanks to him, his family is now safe and sound. Now, that's what we call a true hero!
Read more ¿Qué más?: Heroic teen tragically dies saving her younger siblings from drowning (VIDEO)
Riggs was part of a fishing party in the Sharksfin Shoal Light, a popular fishing area in Tangier Sound, Maryland. He had taken his family on boat to go fishing on Tuesday when a storm suddenly hit around 7 p.m., causing the boat where he and his family were to fill with too much water and eventually toppled into sea. On the boat were his 70-year-old father also named John Riggs, sister Contessa Riggs, 9-year-old niece Emily Horn, and 3-year-old nephew Conrad Drake. Everyone soon fell out of the boat and into the water, and were left holding on for their dear lives. Luckily everyone had their life jackets on.
Riggs immediately started to swim trying to reach his family and after five hours finally hit shore. Soaked and barefoot, he climbed rocks to shore and went to the first house he saw for help.
Wow this is unbelievable. I can't get over how brave and determined this man was to rescue his family. This is definitely something none of them will ever forget.
"He came to the right house," Angela Byrd told WBOC.COM. "He said, 'I've been swimming since sundown; I need help,' " she said. Byrd then called 911 and soon after rescuers arrived to the scene. A Maryland State Police helicopter flew over the boat with firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue Rigg's family. "It's an amazing story," Deal Island Fire Chief Donald Ford said. "The man's a hero." And apparently he swam through "some of the worse tides in the Chesapeake Bay."
I'm so happy to hear that this family was rescued and brought to safety and in awe of this incredibly brave man.This is so inspiring! I don't think any of them will want to take a fishing trip anytime soon.
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyWstosIXrk
Image via YouTube
