Florida Officer Gets Pulled Underwater While Rescuing Man Stranded in Flood

Deputy William Hollingsworth was pulled underwater while rescuing a man who was stuck in a flood. Fortunately, both the Florida officer and the man did not drown and were able to resurface.

On June 16, Deputy William Hollingsworth, of Escambia County in Florida, was on patrol to help motorists who were stranded in a flood. While patrolling, the Florida officer reportedly came across a man who was stuck with his impaired vehicle.

However, according to Pandolfo, during the rescue, the Florida officer was pulled underwater into a drainage pipe along with the man. Body camera footage captured the horrifying incident where for almost 30 seconds, Hollingsworth and the man appeared to stumble through the darkness as roaring water drowned out all other noises.

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Florida Officer and Man Resurfaced

Fortunately, according to Donlevy, the Florida officer and the man resurfaced on the other side of the four-lane highway after being dragged almost 100 feet underwater. The body camera footage also showed Hollingsworth rushing to the man’s aid as soon as he was able. Thereafter, he reportedly called other police officers for further assistance. Reports say there were at least 349 rescues due to the flooding in Escambia County that night.

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