parents got swept to their deaths in the Pacific Ocean trying to save
their pet.
The poor pooch had been overwhelmed by huge 10-foot waves while
playing stick on the sand at Big Lagoon beach, about 30 miles north of
Eureka, Calif., on Saturday, reported ABCNews.com.
"The beach is incredibly steep, and we had 10 foot swells... come
through there Saturday, and it is really really steep, so the 10 foot
waves smashes directly on the beach. They were throwing a stick for
the dog, and the dog ran too close to the water and got pulled in,"
explained Coast Guard Lt. Bernie Garrigan .
Upon seeing his beloved dog caught up in the mammoth waves,
16-year-old Gregory James Kuljian ran in to save him but quickly got
caught up himself. His parents, Mary Elena Scott , 57, and Howard
Gregory Kuljian , 54, followed to rescue their son, and sadly all
three were swept out to sea.Miraculously the dog managed to find its
way back to shore and survived , as did the couple's 18-year-old
daughter, Olivia , who did not enter the water.
The Coast Guard quickly responded and sent a helicopter and two rescue
boats to scour the water - the bodies of the parents washed up on
shore later in the day and the search for the teen, nicknamed Geddie,
was suspended on Sunday because the extreme temperatures of the water
means that a person could not survive for long without a wet suit."The
Coast Guard gives our condolences to the family. We have done and are
doing all we can," lamented Garrigan.
Friends of the lost teenage boy have started a Facebook page, Wear
Green for Geddie, in which they ask their schoolmates to"wear green to
school in remembrance of Geddie and his parents. [It] was his favorite
color…"
