A San Clemente father dove into pounding surf to save a child and left the beach paralyzed from the neck down.
Story Snapshot
- Josh Collette, 42, was injured at Riviera Beach on August 15 while helping a child in a rip current.
- Family statements say doctors confirmed paralysis from the neck down; the child got out safely.
- Local community aid reports describe a long, costly recovery and call for support.
- Rip currents are a leading danger on surf beaches and drive most rescues nationwide.
The Rescue That Split One Fate Into Two
Witness accounts say the surf turned chaotic at Riviera Beach on August 15. A child, described as about seven, got pulled into a rip current. Josh Collette sprinted into the water. He collided with either rocks or a sandbar and could not move. He told family he feared a broken neck. Doctors later told them he was paralyzed from the neck down. The child got out before rescuers brought Josh to shore, alive but gravely hurt.
Collette is a father of five from San Clemente. Family messages shared through community channels describe a long road ahead. They ask for help with medical bills, therapy, and daily support as they adjust to a new reality. Their notes stress hope and grit but also the scale of the burden that follows a spinal cord injury. The community-aid post anchors the calendar, citing the Saturday, August 15 injury and the need for steady help.
Rip Currents: Fast, Flat, And Deadly Wrong
Rip currents do not look like movie waves. They look like calmer water that runs outward, fast. They form near breaks in sandbars or next to structures. They carry even strong swimmers past the surf zone in seconds. Marine safety officials in San Clemente warn swimmers to stay near lifeguards, check conditions, and swim parallel to the shore to escape a rip. They stress that knowledge, not force, is the best way out.
National data show why that advice matters. Rip currents account for about 82 percent of rescues that surf lifeguards perform in the United States. That share holds steady on the West Coast, where strong swells and shifting sandbars are common. The numbers explain how a normal beach day can turn into a rescue in minutes, and why so many people get in trouble when panic sets in.
Why Good Hearts Get Hurt In Bad Water
Bystanders often jump in to help family or strangers. That is human nature. Safety groups warn that this instinct can add a second victim. The better plan is simple and hard: call a lifeguard, throw a float, and coach the swimmer to breathe, stay calm, and move sideways with the current. The goal is to cut the odds that a rescue turns into a spine or head injury in shallow, shifting surf near bars and rocks.
JUST IN: California father Josh Collette, 42, was paralyzed from the neck down after diving into the ocean at Riviera Beach in San Clemente on Aug. 15 to rescue a child caught in a rip current, his sister said. pic.twitter.com/fhF1Rb8H4r
— JUST IN (@justinnews67) August 24, 2026
Collette’s story fits the pattern and the stakes. A child in trouble. A parent who refused to watch from shore. A hidden hazard under breaking waves. The family’s public notes now center on recovery, therapy, and small daily wins. One short sentence belongs here for clarity: news accounts do not yet include a detailed medical diagnosis. What is clear is the outcome the family describes—a life changed in an instant, and a community asked to stand in the gap.
