WATCH: "Oh, Jesus!" Deputy gets swept under water in drainage pipe for 30 seconds while attempting rescue
PENSACOLA, Florida (KFOR/Storyful) - A Florida deputy's body camera captured the terrifying moment he tried to rescue a man stranded in flood waters - when both men were suddenly sucked into an underwater drainage pipe for 30 seconds. Both men resurfaced alive, thanking Jesus for their survival.
"Oh, Jesus, thank you!" Deputy William Hollingsworth shouted. "I've never held my breath like that in my life!" he said. "Me neither!" exclaimed the man he had attempted to save. Both men hugged and cried together. "Oh, my God! I'm alive!" the man shouted, and later thanked the deputy.
Video at the top of this story shows the dramatic scene, including the 30 seconds under water. Deputy Hollingsworth with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office (ECSO) was helping stranded motorists in rapid flooding conditions on June 16, when the two men were swept under more than 100 feet before resurfacing.
According to the National Weather Service, Pensacola saw up to 16 inches of rain and was under a flash flood emergency warning when the accident happened.
ECSO posted the video, calling the event "an example of the exceptional courage displayed by the men and women of law enforcement every day."