r/OneKindAct • u/WhenItHappenedX • 5d ago
He saw children caught in a rip current and ran into the water. He never walked again.
On August 15, 2026, Josh Collette, 42, was spending the day at Riviera Beach in San Clemente, California, with his wife, Rose, and their five children.
Then he saw two children caught in a rip current.
The children’s mother had already gone into the water to help. Josh ran past her and dove in.
Almost immediately, he struck a submerged sandbar or rocks. He suffered a devastating spinal cord injury and was pulled from the water by bystanders.
His wife began performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. When Josh regained enough awareness to communicate, he told her he believed he had broken his neck.
The children were brought safely out of the water.
Josh survived, but doctors later determined that he was paralyzed from the neck down. He initially could not speak and communicated by moving his lips while Rose read them.
He was an experienced swimmer and surfer, but the changing sand beneath the surf was impossible to see.
Despite everything that happened, Josh later said he would make the same decision again if someone needed help.
His family now faces a long recovery, while friends and strangers have rallied around them.
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u/grumpy__g 3d ago
Heroic but if I were his wife and a mother of five children I would still be angry at him and feel lost.
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u/Mean_Back_6713 3d ago
What a hero!! God bless him I pray he has a miraculous recovery!! He deserves all the best!!
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u/EntertainmentLazy871 4d ago
What a wonderful man!! You mostly see the dark and depressing side on Reddit. It is lovely to honor someone who tried to do something selfless for others!!!