Texas Dad Drowns While Saving His 2 Sons From A Riptide

A Texas family is heartbroken after losing a husband and father during a trip to Surfside Beach.

Josh Graham is being hailed as a hero for saving his two sons from the dangerous riptide that ultimately took his life on April 10.

“This interview’s not for me, this is for Josh. We feel that we needed to tell his side of the story. He died protecting his kids, and he’s the hero here," Mike Lampson told KHOU.

The Graham family was at Surfside Beach celebrating one of the son's 13th birthday. While enjoying the beach, Angela Morel Graham noticed that two of her sons were farther from the shore than they should be.

Graham jumped in the water to get the two boys who were being carried away by the current.

Lampson and Rodney Sanders were also at the beach that day with their families. They started swimming towards Graham and the two boys when they noticed people panicking on the shore.

Both men are military-trained in survival swimming, but it took them more than 20 minutes to reach Graham because the rip current was so strong.

”I see a wave come over and I see Josh on the wave and I could tell by the way he was on that wave he didn’t look good. We formed a chain pulling everybody in fighting the current," Sanders told KPRC.

Morel Graham believes her husband told the people helping to take the boys back to shore first. When they got to Graham, it was too late.

Morel Graham is grateful her sons are alive and for the others on the beach who helped. She hopes her husband's passing will lead to Surfside Beach having lifeguards.

Family friends started a GoFundMe account to raise money for Graham's funeral and grief counseling.

Photo: Getty Images