Group of Friends Brave Hurricane Ian To Rescue Elderly Man From Flooded Vehicle
While official first responders do their best to help out their communities in times of need, sometimes it takes good samaritans at the right place and time to give a helping hand.
Today, a group of friends from Collier County, Florida decided to do just that, braving the streets during Hurricane Ian to rescue an elderly man from his flooded vehicle.
The group of friends call themselves the “Collier County Cowboys,” and they are self-described as “just 5 cowboys going through a phase.” Their Instagram feed shows them walking through the ravaged streets and beach during Hurricane Ian, an act that we by no means recommend (some of their videos are pretty extreme).
That being said, a video they posted on the street during Hurricane Ian explains that the group was “in the midst of the hurricane” because they wanted to “make sure the roads are clear and that everyone is safe.”
They promised to go out on the streets to make sure “everyone is okay,” but recommended everyone else stay home safe and sound.
While the group’s actions may have been questionable, this time their patrolling certainly paid off. Out on the streets of Bonita Springs, the friends found an elderly man stuck in a flooded vehicle under dangerous electrical lines.
The brave men waded through waist-deep water to get to the man, and as videos show, were able to successfully remove him from the car.
It is still unknown what the man was doing driving his car through the hurricane in the first place, but thankfully he survived the incident because of these good samaritans’ help.
A part of the group carried the elderly man out of the car and kept him in their arms as they walked through the flood to safety. Meanwhile, a few others stayed behind and removed valuables from the car.
The video showed just how dangerous the situation was, especially considering Hurricane Ian hit Florida’s west coast as a category 4 storm. You can see how the severe winds, flooding, and nonstop rain made the situation truly life-threatening— both for the man stuck in the vehicle and the others who tried to help him.
Social media users quickly reacted to the video, praising the men for their heroic efforts. One user wrote, “❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ you just saved that man’s life,” while another agreed, “Call it fate or destiny but the right group of people were there at the right time. ❤️.”
Another user commented on how although the group’s Instagram page “started off joking around,” they were proud to see they had evolved into “doing wellness checks and pulling people out of cars!!! 👏👏👏👏👏.” Yet another follower exclaimed the “cowboys” are “real-life heroes.”
