COCOA, Florida – Cocoa Police officers, with assistance from multiple agencies and several Good Samaritans, rescued a family of four, including a toddler and an infant, after their boat crashed and overturned in the Indian River near the Hubert Humphrey Bridge (State Road 520).
At 10:40 p.m. on Friday, police responded to the area after receiving several 911 calls reporting a boat crash with several people in the water.
After arriving on scene, four patrol officers jumped into the water and began searching for the victims. A Good Samaritan in a nearby boat also assisted in the search.
The adults and the infant were quickly located – but the search continued for nearly one hour for a 23-month-old girl. Officers Matt Rush and Corporal Alan Worthy found the girl trapped underneath the overturned boat where she was staying afloat in a small pocket of air. Rush and Worthy pulled the child out from underneath the boat and delivered her to waiting paramedics for treatment.
Police say that the toddler was wearing a life jacket and is in good condition along with the rest of her family. All of the passenger were later transported to the hospital for evaluation.
The Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) is handling the crash investigation. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Cocoa Fire Rescue, U.S. Coast Guard, and FWC assisted with the rescue.
Photo credit: Cocoa Police Department
