PENSACOLA, Fla. (WSVN) — There was danger in the water in the Florida Panhandle when a deputy who put his life on the line and a stranded driver were swept away in a flood, leading to a remarkable rescue captured in the deputy’s body-worn camera.
The terrifying moments unfolded during a dark and stormy Friday night in Pensacola.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputy William Hollingsworth was helping stranded drivers.
“As he approached, Deputy Hollingsworth witnessed this citizen go underwater and rushed to his aid without regard ro his own safety,” said Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons.
In darkness illuminated by flashes of lightning, Hollingsworth can barely be seen walking before he is once again engulfed in darkness.
Audio from the body camera captured water rushing around the deputy, as he and a stranded driver were sucked into a drainage pipe and under a four-lane highway for 30 seconds.
The pair traveled about 100 feet under the highway before they came out on the other side.
“I gotcha, I gotcha,” Hollingsworth is heard saying. “Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus, save us, save us, save us!”
It was no surprise that both men had some words of praise for one another, with a bit of profanity sprinkled in after their terrifying ordeal.
“Can you believe what [expletive] happened to us?” said Hollingsworth. “Just breathe, Just breathe, buddy!”
“Oh, my God! I almost died!” said the driver.
“I almost died, too, buddy. It sucked me in,” said Hollingsworth. “I’ve never held my breath like that in my life!”
“Me, neither,” said the driver.
Simmons said Friday’s rescue is a perfect example of his department’s commitment to protect and serve.
“It is an example of the exceptional courage displayed by the men and women of law enforcement every day,” he said.
The bodycam video and the interview with the sheriff were provided by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Simmons added both men are lucky to have survived.
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