CRESCENT BEACH, Fla. – A 26-year-old Florida man died after he was pulled from the ocean off at Crescent Beach on Saturday, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and family.
According to the accidental death report, Andrew Miller, of Chiefland, went swimming, and when his wife lost sight of him, she contacted a deputy on the beach. A search began and they found good Samaritans, Tracy Yuro and a fisherman, bringing Miller out of the water near the Crescent Beach ramp.
Yuro told News4Jax she and the fisherman began performing CPR until first responders arrived.
“We were praying, praying, praying, praying because I saw his wife come up as we were doing it," she said. "That was horrific.”
Miller was then rushed to Flagler Hospital, where he died. His family said he died from pneumonia, which he contracted from being in the water. The Sheriff’s Office said the man’s death is still considered a drowning, but the autopsy will determine the cause and manner of death.
Yuro said she wishes she could have saved him.
“That face when I close my eyes -- it’s getting better every day, but that face," she said. "I mean, he could be my kid. That could be my son.”
Miller’s family said he beat the odds before, surviving a motorcycle crash in 2017. He spent a year learning to walk and talk again and was eventually strong enough to participate in a Gate River Run event.
Dangerous coastal surf conditions and rip currents were present along Florida’s East Coast over the weekend and red flags were flying on most beaches as Tropical Storm Arthur passed offshore.
Saturday afternoon, a father and his teenage son had to be rescued from the water near the border of Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach. They were hospitalized in unknown condition.
Lifeguards say to keep yourself safe, check beach conditions before you go, and then when you arrive, look for the color of warning signs and flags.
Green conditions indicate calm currents. Yellow is slightly more dangerous conditions but people can still be in the water. Red means high surf, and or strong currents. If you see two red flags, don’t go in.
“If we can educate people that we’re not invincible. I don’t care if you’re a strong swimmer, that is God’s Earth,” Yuro said. “I mean, you cannot mess with the water and the tides and all the undertow.”