SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A Navy Sailor from Utah helped save a man who experienced a medical emergency and lost control of his vehicle, which ended up in Florida’s Bayou Chico Creek.
Airman Jesse Arguello, of American Fork, and Airman Skyluv Rios, of El Paso, Texas, are both assigned to Naval Aviation Schools Command aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, in Florida. They were on their way to get dinner on Wednesday when they watched the vehicle crash near the intersection of U.S. 98 and Navy Boulevard.
Florida Highway Patrol said the driver experienced a medical emergency, lost control of his vehicle, drove through a gas station parking lot, and struck many obstacles before ending up fully submerged in the Bayou Chico Creek.
“My first instinct was, ‘there’s somebody in there, he needs help,'” Arguello said in a press release from Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).
Rios called for emergency medical services while Arguello jumped into the water to rescue the man.
He broke through the sunroof and pulled the driver out.
“Despite the difficulty of striking glass underwater, he managed to shatter and remove the glass, reach the driver, unbuckle their seatbelt, and pull them to the surface,” the press release states.
Once the driver had been brought to shore, Rios administered first aid, and Arguello returned to the submerged vehicle to check for additional passengers.
Florida Highway Patrol Troopers credited the Sailors’ swift actions and decisive response with saving the man’s life.
Comment with Bubbles
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
_____