MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Two deputies are being praised for their heroic efforts after they pulled two injured people out of a fully submerged car on a pitch-black night last week.
The body camera video released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office shows the officers, identified as Deputies Matt Fritchie and Juan Pepper-Orelliana, rushing through water and thick foliage to help the trapped husband and wife escape.
At around 8:30 p.m. last Friday, the sheriff’s office said the couple was traveling on Martin Highway when they were struck by a car. The force of the crash sent them off the road and into a deep, water-filled embankment.
The car quickly became submerged in the murky water, and the couple was trapped inside. They called 911, but lost connection with dispatch before fully explaining their location.
The deputies were sent to the general area of the crash, but could not see the vehicle along the dark roadway, relying instead on the sound of the victims’ car horn.
After locating the submerged car, the deputies jumped in the water and fought to clear a path of escape through the thick trees and bushes. They were able to break into the vehicle and help get the victims out of the nearly underwater car and back on dry land. The injured couple was then transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The sheriff’s office said it’s still working to locate the car that struck the victims and then fled the scene.
“Between our incredible dispatchers and our determined deputies, this became a clear case of our warriors working quickly and risking their own lives to save others,” MCSO wrote on Facebook.
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