SHACKLEFORD BANKS, N.C. – A father is dead after trying to save his three daughters off Shackleford Banks.
It happened Monday afternoon just before 1 p.m.
Officials identify the man as 35-year-old Rick Brown. Family friends say he was a church deacon in Piney Flats, Tennessee.
Atlantic Beach Fire Captain Casey Arthur says Brown’s three young daughters got caught up in a rip current near the west end of the island. Brown rushed to their rescue, jumping in to save them.
The girls were rescued by bystanders and a man in a nearby boat. Brown’s wife also attempted to assist with getting the three daughters and her husband back to shore. However, Brown wasn’t able to make it back.
Brown was in cardiac arrest upon arrival of an Atlantic Beach police vessel. An off-duty paramedic started CPR on him, and crews continued lifesaving efforts on the way to Carteret Health Care, where Brown was pronounced dead.
The family was visiting North Carolina from Tennessee.
