A Florida sheriff’s deputy put his life at risk to save a man trapped in floodwaters and was sucked into a drainage pipe.
Over the past few days, Escambia County has been ravaged by severe weather and relentless downpours, reaching their peak in the early hours of Friday morning. Deputy William Hollingsworth was on patrol, providing assistance to motorists who had become trapped in rapidly rising waters.
During his patrol, Deputy Hollingsworth and a stranded motorist were both sucked underwater into a drainage pipe, traveling nearly 100 feet beneath a four-lane highway before resurfacing on the other side, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Body camera footage shows the terrifying moment when Hollingsworth was engulfed by the floodwaters during the rescue attempt and ultimately dragged underwater through a roadside drainage pipe. For approximately 30 seconds, the deafening rush of water overwhelms all other sounds as Hollingsworth tumbled through darkness.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE WATER RESCUE:Over the past few days, Escambia County has experienced severe weather and torrential downpours, peeking in the early morning hours of June 16th.During those hours, Escambia County Deputy William Hollingsworth was on patrol and helping stranded motorists caught in rapidly rising waters.At one point, Deputy Hollingsworth exited his patrol car to approach a citizen who was trapped in these rising waters. As he approached, Deputy Hollingsworth witnessed the citizen go underwater and rushed to his aid without regard for his own safety. During the rescue attempt, both the citizen and Deputy Hollingsworth were sucked into a drainage pipe and were swept underneath the four-lane roadway of Hwy 98. They were submerged for approximately 30 seconds and traveled nearly 100 feet underwater. They eventually resurfaced on the other end of the roadway – lucky to be alive.The footage you’re about to see is from Deputy Hollingsworth’s body camera. It shows the dramatic events from this morning and is an example of the exceptional courage displayed by the men and women of law enforcement every day.NorthEscambia Cat Country 98.7NewsRadio 92.3Pensacola News JournalIsland Times – Pensacola Beach's NewspaperStudio 850 Island Times – Pensacola Beach's Newspaper Escambia County Sheriff Foundation WKRG WPMI NBC 15 News FOX10 News
Posted by Escambia County Sheriff's Office on Friday, June 16, 2023
Both he and the motorist emerged on the other side of the highway alive.
After emerging, Hollingsworth rushed to the aid of the other individual.
“You okay, buddy? Can you believe what just happened to us?”
He instructs the man to breathe and extends a helping hand to assist him to his feet.
“I almost died,” the rescued citizen said.
Hollingsworth guided the man to safety and promptly called for additional police assistance. The grateful individual expressed his gratitude for the officer.
“When I emerged, you were right there,” he tells Hollingsworth.
Authorities reported 349 rescues from overnight flooding in Escambia County on Thursday, WEAR reported.
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