Fred Pepperman's last words to his daughter were "I got you" as he pulled her from the riptide that was dragging her under.

The 53-year-old father died after saving all three of his daughters from drowning off Seacrest, Florida.

The Rescue

Pepperman heard three of his daughters screaming for help at the same time. Kathryn, 24, Mallory, 22, and Olivia, 20 had been caught in a riptide while swimming with their family.

When Olivia gave up in the water and thought she would die, her father grabbed her hair as she went under and pulled her to safety.

A human chain formed by family members and bystanders helped get all three daughters to shore.

The Cost

Pepperman collapsed after the rescue and was pulled unconscious from the water.

He was pronounced dead at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast.

Double red flags were flying that day, warning of dangerous water conditions, but the family didn't know what they meant.

A Father's Choice

Pepperman owned Appalachian Fire Alarm Solutions in Maryville, Tennessee, where he lived with his wife Julie and four daughters.

The Walton County Sheriff's Office reported 15 water rescues occurred that same day.

The beach where the family was swimming was private property, not required to fly riptide warning flags, with the nearest lifeguard two miles away.

"I just want people to know a lot of dads say they would do it, and he did it," Julie Pepperman told reporters.