Newly released footage from a deadly helicopter crash in Florida shows the moment two survivors emerge from the fiery wreckage and onto the roof of a building before climbing down to safety.
A Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) Fire Rescue helicopter crashed into an apartment building in Pompano Beach on Monday morning, leading to the deaths of two individuals. Newly released footage shows the moment pilot Daron Roche, 37, and firefighter paramedic Mikael Chaguaceda, 31, emerge from the wreckage and make their way to safety as fire consumes the building behind them. (RELATED: Video Shows Sheriff’s Helicopter Crashing Into Florida Apartment Building , Killing Two And Sending Four To The Hospital)
The video, captured by nearby resident Jared Liverpool, shows the two men crawling over the roof of one building towards a ladder in a desperate effort to escape the nearby flames as onlookers congratulate them for their seemingly inexplicable survival.
“God loves you, man,” one bystander can be heard saying.
2 die in BSO chopper crash https://t.co/AIXQZQYXfQ
— CBS News Miami (@CBSMiami) August 29, 2023
“My heart was just racing, there was a lot going on at the moment. I just felt many emotions. I was scared, nervous,” Liverpool said of the scene, according to CBS Miami.
“Surprisingly, the two men in their uniforms didn’t look like they had any injuries on them at all. One of them said that their ribs were broken probably, but they seemed fine. They struggled a bit climbing up the roof but they got down, a police officer was asking them if they were okay, if they needed any help. They were taken to the hospital in fair condition,” Liverpool continued.
Liverpool added that though he was used to low flying planes around the neighborhood, he had never seen anything like this before.
“I was thankful it didn’t hit my house,” he told the outlet.
The crash claimed the lives of BSO captain Terryson Jackson, a 19-year veteran of BSO, as well as a woman who was inside the apartment building when the crash occurred.
State and federal authorities are still investigating the cause of the deadly incident.