Dramatic video has shown the moment a Florida police officer was sucked down a drain pipe while coming to the aid of a trapped motorists during a torrential downpour.
Escambia County Deputy William Hollingsworth was on patrol helping stranded motorists when he saw a person trapped in rising waters. He left his patrol car to try and rescue the man when both were sucked into a drainage pipe.
Bodycam footage shows Hollingsworth in his patrol car with heavy rain beating down on his windshield. He gets out of the car and walks towards a heavily flooded area. He is suddenly shown getting sucked into the flood and his body camera blacks out for about 45 seconds.
Hollingsworth is finally heard gasping for air and walking towards a person lying on the ground, calling out his name.
"David, is that David? David. Can you f******* believe what just happened to us? You okay, buddy? Can you believe what f******* happened to us?" Hollingsworth is heard saying.
He then helps the person up, who is heard gasping and sobbing in the video while embracing Hollingsworth as the camera blacks out again.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! I'm alive," the person rescued is heard saying.
Hollingsworth then calls for another patrol unit to their location and is then seen describing the event to two other officers.
"He was over there...and he goes down and I go in after him. I got sucked in the f****** drainpipe right by that marker."
Both the person and Hollingsworth were swept under a highway and were submerged for approximately 30 seconds, while being dragged around 30 metres underwater. The pair eventually resurfaced on the other end of the highway, lucky to be alive.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons described the incident as "an example of the exceptional courage displayed by the men and women of law enforcement every day."
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