Sailors Save Man From Submerged Car
bz
Navy sailors leap into action to save Pensacola man from submerged vehicle
By Mike Brantley
ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WALA) – A 37-year-old Pensacola man is alive thanks to quick action by two Navy sailors who witnessed the man’s car plunge into Bayou Chico Creek Sunday night and become submerged.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the incident happened about 9 p.m. in the area of U.S. 98 and Navy Boulevard in Escambia County. The FHP reported the Pensacola man had suffered a medical emergency while driving a white Mercedes automobile eastbound in the westbound lanes of U.S. 98 at a high rate of speed.
According to the highway patrol, the car ran the red light and traveled through a Murphy’s Express parking lot before colliding with a concrete parking bollard. The vehicle then went through a chain-link fence and onto the Southwest Greenway boardwalk.
The car ultimately crashed into Bayou Chico Creek, becoming completely submerged.
Two Navy sailors assigned to Naval Aviation Schools Command at Naval Air Station Pensacola witnessed the crash and immediately rendered aid. The FHP said one of the sailors jumped from the boardwalk into the water and heard the driver knocking on the windows. He broke through the sunroof and pulled the driver from the submerged vehicle.
The sailor pulled the driver to the shore where the other sailor brought him ashore and started rendering first aid until Escambia County EMS paramedics arrived.
The highway patrol reported the sailor who had gone into the water swam back and entered the sunken vehicle to ensure no one else was inside. That sailor was treated at a local hospital for injuries sustained in the rescue, officials said.
The driver was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries not believed to be life threatening, the FHP said.
P-Cola is home to Navy Rescue Swimmer School. These sailors should apply, Bravo Zulu!
Category: None
