Quarterback saves four from helicopter crash
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Blaine Gabbert, seen here in 2022, helped rescue a family that crash-landed into the ocean on Thursday evening. (AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
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(NewsNation) — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Blaine Gabbert helped rescue four people after a helicopter crash in Tampa, Florida, according to police.
A tour helicopter was on the way to a nearby airport when it was forced to make an emergency landing in the water near Davis Islands Yacht Club. Passengers and the pilot reported hearing a loud bang before the helicopter lost power.
Gabbert and his brothers were on jet skis when they saw the helicopter’s occupants in the water. They helped pull the passengers — a family from Philadelphia — onto their jet skis.
Law enforcement officers rescued the pilot and a Tampa Police Department officer told WFLA it was an “amazing circumstance” because of the danger of helicopters inverting during a water landing and trapping everyone inside.
The family was unaware they were being rescued by an NFL quarterback. Gabbert received a coin from the Tampa police marine unit and an honorary membership for his role in the rescue.