Blaine Gabbert, the former first-round NFL Draft pick and current backup quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was part of a group of individuals on Thursday evening who helped rescue a family after a helicopter made an emergency water landing near Davis Islands in Tampa. According to the Tampa Bay Times, a helicopter carrying three family members from Philadelphia and a pilot went on a tour of Tampa and its surrounding islands before crashing.
It was at this point that Gabbert and his brothers, who were out on jet skis, helped assist in rescuing them — one of the individuals who was part of the crash estimated he was “underneath the water for between 45 seconds and a minute,” per the Times.
After a helicopter crashed into the bay yesterday, @BlaineGabbert and his brothers, who were on jet skis, were instrumental in the rescue. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/sg2pD1MM4Q
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 30, 2022
“I vaguely remember seeing two yellow life jackets,” Gabbert told the media. “It looked like they were in duress, we raced over there, the youngest kid had just came up and said he was pinned in there, and I asked if anybody else was trapped. And then I called 911, tried to remain as calm as possible, but it all turned positive, they were healthy – scared, nervous — but it was a pretty crappy situation that turned good in the end. I was just right place, right time, I guess.”
Gabbert said that the police and fire department were out to the scene within seconds, and that he and his brothers were able to get the family members out of there on their jet skis. All four individuals involved with the crash survived with no injuries.
