'We knew he needed help': Good Samaritans save Florida man from flooded car during Ian's wrath
A video by @colliercountycowboys_ shows the man being lifted from a vehicle submerged in floodwaters in Bonita Springs and dragged through waist-high waters to safety. The man's vehicle’s door was wedged shut before their intervention.
Watch: Good Samaritans rescue elderly man from flooded vehicle during Hurricane Ian
A group of good Samaritans rescued an elderly man stranded in surging waters in Bonita Springs, Florida, as Hurricane Ian battered the state’s southwestern coastline on Wednesday, September 28.
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BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – A group of Good Samaritans rushed into action to save a man from his flooded car as Hurricane Ian battered Florida's southwestern coastline on Wednesday.
"We saw an elderly man struggling in his car, and we knew he needed help," Benny from @colliercountycowboys said.
A video by @colliercountycowboys_ shows the man being lifted from a vehicle submerged in floodwaters in Bonita Springs and dragged through waist-high waters to safety. The man's vehicle’s door was wedged shut before their intervention, Benny added.
A group of good samaritans rescued an elderly man stranded in surging waters in Bonita Springs, Florida, as Hurricane Ian battered the state’s southwestern coastline on Wednesday, September 28.
(@colliercountycowboys_ via Storyful / FOX Weather)
"The guys all maintained to grab the door and pry it open," he said. "He was a bit in shock, so he didn’t want to let go, so we assured him we were there to help him."
The men were able to carefully pick the stranded man up out of his car, and brought him to shore, away from the current.
Southwestern Florida was slammed by the historic storm Wednesday afternoon, making landfall with 150 mph winds and a record-setting storm surge.
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Image 1 of 3SARASOTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 28: Palm trees blow in the wind from Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022 in Sarasota, Florida. Ian is hitting the area as a likely Category 4 hurricane. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
![Hurricane Ian near landfall]()
Image 2 of 3Hurricane Ian is seen near landfall as it approaches southwest Florida on Sept. 28, 2022. (NOAA)
![A photo shows a view from Fort Myers, Florida, United States on September 28, 2022. At least 2.5 million Floridians are currently under some type of evacuation order as Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified into a major hurricane on Tuesday. Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. US authorities warned on Wednesday that Hurricane Ian is slated to bring mass devastation to parts of Florida as it barrels toward the southeastern state with winds nearing Category 5 status.]()
Image 3 of 3A photo shows a view from Fort Myers, Florida, United States on September 28, 2022. At least 2.5 million Floridians are currently under some type of evacuation order as Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified into a major hurricane on Tuesday. (Lokman Vural Elibol / Anadolu Agency)
Ian came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane near Cayo Costa in Lee County just after 3 p.m. EDT, according to the National Hurricane Center, knocking out power to over 2 million customers across Florida and triggering dozens of simialr water rescues in the southwestern part of the state.
As of 5 a.m. Thursday, Ian weakened to tropical storm with maximum sustained winds around 65 mph. The cyclone is over Central Florida and could emerge out over the Atlantic by the afternoon. Wind gusts of between 39 mph to 73 mph will continue to impact the Peninsula through Thursday.
Once the cyclone exists Florida's East Coast, it will head in the direction of South Carolina. Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect from Florida to southern North Carolina.