HILLSBOROUGH Co., Fla. — First responders rescued a Tampa Bay Area man stuck in a retention pond, the driver was even on the phone with 911 as his car sank into the water.
It's a scary thought for anyone behind the wheel. You’re driving and suddenly you end up in a pond with water rushing into your car. Luckily, for Nicholas Fry, help wasn’t far off.
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"Um, I'm alright, yeah this [expletive] is deeper than a [expletive]. Alright here we go," Fry said over the phone to the emergency dispatcher.
"I'm standing on top of the car and [expletive] excuse my language," he said. "That's alright," responds the dispatcher.
"I'm discombobulated," Fry said.
Amanda Lopez tells me her partner of 11 years is just one thing.
“He’s an adrenaline junkie," she said.
But Fry wasn’t looking for the type of rush that found him last night. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Fry lost control of his Cadillac on the rain-slicked roadway while heading southbound on I-75 near the I-4 ramp. Once he landed in the pond he had no choice but to climb out a window and go up on the roof to avoid the water.
"I hope I don't have to jump in this [expletive] water," he said on the 911 call.
"Well I mean it's Florida man. So..." responded the dispatcher.
"Yeah," laughed Fry.
"You know what I mean? I hope you don't have to either," said the dispatcher, "I can't imagine what, you know, is in there"
But deputies arrive quickly and throw him a life vest. Someone in the crowd recorded the rescue on their cellphone during the rescue. Firefighters arrive shortly after and extend a ladder to Fry and, with shaky steps, he climbs back up to land. Today, his family is simply grateful.
“I appreciate everything they do and I feel like a lot of the things they do goes unseen," said Lopez.
Even though the car while didn't appear damaged, it's completely flooded out. Just a day after his rescue, Fry isn't resting at home, he's hard at work.
"He went back to work today?" we asked Lopez.
“Yes, we don’t have a car now. We gotta go get a car!" she laughed.
