LEVY COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – If you take County Road 40 in Levy County all the way west, it dead ends into the Gulf of Mexico.
That’s where an Inglis couple found themselves after they somehow drove their truck right off the boat ramp.
Deputies say this is not the first time they have responded to a call like this.
A Levy County Sheriff’s Office news release says just before 9:00 p.m. Sunday, Deputy Cody Weaver arrived at the area the locals know as “the end of the road.” By his headlights, the sheriff’s office says he could see a truck approximately 75 yards from the end of the ramp with two people in the bed of the truck.
The sheriff’s office says Deputy Dakota Dowling arrived shortly after, just as the people in the truck entered the water in an attempt to swim to shore.
Deputies say the couple, identified as 77-year-old Frank Fournier and 68-year-old Elena Van Kampen, were quickly overcome by the 54-degree water temperature and began yelling for help.
The sheriff’s office says deputies Weaver and Dowling got in the water, got the two shore and into the back of a nearby waiting ambulance.
LCSO says both of the victims as well as both deputies were transported to Seven Rivers Hospital and treated for exposure.
They say the deputies were released after a complete examination and returned to duty completing the remainder of their shift. They say the couple was held for further observation.
Deputies say a towing company pulled the truck, a 2024 Denali, from the Gulf Monday morning.
“The deputies endured extremely cold water and an even colder air temperature (42 degrees) which placed their own lives in jeopardy,” said Sheriff Bobby McCallum. “Thankfully everyone was rescued safely and the couple is expected to make a full recovery.”