Surfer paralyzed after he dove into a wall of sand to save kid caught in California riptide

A California surfer who dove into the ocean to save a kid caught in a riptide has been left paralyzed after hitting a wall of sand. Josh Collette, a 42-year-old father of five from San Clemente, was at Riviera Beach on August 15 with his family when he saw the child struggling in the water, according to local reports. "I dove head first, and that's my fault," Josh’s wife, Rose Collette, said as she read her husband’s lips in a hospital room during an interview with CBS News Los Angeles.

As Josh was entering the water, he struck a wall of sand. "I couldn't breathe and they pulled me up out of the water,” he told the outlet, using his wife to translate. I cannot breathe,’” Rose recalled Josh telling her during the harrowing ordeal in an interview with KTLA.

The family man, who broke two vertebrae and severely injured his spinal cord, told the outlet he couldn’t feel anything below his shoulders. He is expected to eventually be able to speak again, according to KTLA. The child who was stuck in the rip current made it safely out of the water, according to reports.

The family has launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to pay for medical bills and other expenses. They have already raised more than $221,000. We’ve already seen so many and thank everyone for the love, support, and prayers!” the GoFundMe page read.

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