11 People Saved From Capsized Boat Thanks To Good Samaritans, Deputies

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Good Samaritans recently helped Hillsborough County deputies rescue 11 people from a capsized boat.

According to the sheriff's office, just before 5:30 p.m. Sunday, deputies learned that several people were stranded in the water just east of Beer Can Island after their boat flipped over.

The HCSO Aviation Unit flew over the scene and confirmed a boat was, in fact, upside down in the water, with several people swimming around it.

Deputies said some nearby boaters noticed the capsized boat and quickly arrived to help lift victims into theirs.

A few minutes later, deputies with the HCSO Marine Unit also arrived to find two men still hanging on to the hull of the overturned boat. One was wearing a life vest while the other was not, deputies said.

As the deputies helped both men onto the HCSO's boat, they said one of the victims complained of chest pains and shortness of breath.

Deputies called the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Marine Unit where paramedics rushed him to a nearby hospital.

Video of boat rescue:

The rest of the victims on the good Samaritans' boat were relocated to HCSO's boat and taken to the Apollo Beach Marina.

"Thanks to the willingness of some local boaters to help out, a group of 11 people, consisting of men, women, and children, were saved after they were stranded in the water when their seacraft capsized," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release. "Almost all the victims were wearing life preservers. We remind everyone to always have the right amount of life vests for each person on a boat, as well as keeping stock of all other safety and emergency equipment."

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office was aided in the rescue by the HCFR Marine Unit, the U.S. Coast Guard and Sea Tow, which helped in the recovery of the capsized boat.