Dramatic video shows Florida officers rescuing a driver who they said fled into a swamp carrying two young children after an alleged drunken crash.
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Lakeland Police said officers had responded to the single-vehicle crash on Sept. 9 and discovered the driver had gone through a road-closure sign and sandbags before entering a construction area in what appeared to be a rollover crash.
When officers arrived they discovered the driver had fled on foot, and they found two empty child safety seats in the vehicle.
A drone was deployed to search the area and a short time later the driver, 27-year-old Isaac Kinsey, was found in the darkness in a wooded, swampy area near the crash site, authorities said.
Drone footage released by police showed Kinsey carrying two children, ages 2 and 10 months, through the swamp.
While dealing with the difficult terrain he fell multiple times, causing the children to become submerged in the swamp water, officials said.
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Body camera footage showed officers finding Kinsey and the children and rescuing all three.
The children and Kinsey were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Kinsey told officers he was intoxicated and he “displayed multiple indicators of impairment,” police said. He also had a suspended driver’s license.
As a result, Kinsey faces multiple charges including negligent child abuse with great bodily harm, police said.
“This incident could have ended with the loss of two innocent lives. The rapid deployment of Lakeland PD’s drone technology, along with the persistence and teamwork of responding officers, helped locate the children in an extremely difficult environment and get them the care they needed,” the department said in a statement. “There is no excuse for impaired driving. We are thankful these children survived and proud of the officers whose actions helped prevent an even greater tragedy.”
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