A serious flood in Pensacola, Florida had a sheriff’s deputy and a civilian fighting for their lives when they were sucked underwater. Deputy William Hollingsworth of Escambia County was helping drivers stuck in the thick of the storm when he saw a man stranded. William left the safety of his patrol car to assist him. Unfortunately, the citizen ended up going under. In a heroic rescue captured by the officer’s body camera, he jumped right into the rising water after him.
The two men were pulled into a storm drain, remaining underwater for 30 seconds. Footage from this portion of the rescue only shows darkness. Thankfully, the deputy and the anonymous driver came back up 100 feet away, on the other side of the four-lane highway. More police offers arrive to help. Both men were unharmed, but shaken by the experience!
“I almost died,” said the civilian, according to The Associated Press.
“I’ve never held my breath like that in my life,” William added.
The deputy admitted that he felt somewhat responsible for the citizen’s near-death experience, since the man had been sucked under while following his directions.
“I feel awful,” he said. “I told you to come to me.”
As he recovered from the shock, the driver told William that he didn’t see it that way at all. In fact, he was grateful for the officer’s help.
“Thank you man, for like, being there when I came out,” he said. “When I came out, you were right behind me.”
The citizen remained with the deputy inside one of the police cars until more help arrived.
“Me and you, man!” he told the officer. “That’s an experience for life and I appreciate you.”
In a video about the incident, Sheriff Chip Simmons reported that Escambia County had recently endured several days of severe weather, culminating in dangerous floods.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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