TAMPA, Fla. – Blaine Gabbert, backup to legendary Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, is being heralded as a hero after he helped rescue people from a downed helicopter in Hillsborough Bay.
According to The Washington Times, Gabbert and his brothers were riding personal watercraft in the bay around 5 p.m. Thursday when the helicopter lost power and plunged into the water while en route to Peter O. Knight Airport.
The pilot had tried to make an emergency landing at the Davis Island Yacht Club.
“I vaguely remember hearing a faint noise, so we turned around, left the yacht club … It almost looked like a crew boat in the water that had broken up into about four pieces. I vaguely remember seeing two yellow life jackets … They looked like they were in duress,” Gabbert, a Davis Island resident, said during a press conference Friday.
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“I called 911, tried to remain as calm as possible. It all turned positive. They were healthy, scared, nervous. It was a pretty crappy situation that turned good in the end. It was ‘right place, right time,’ I guess.”
The Gabberts pulled from the water Wes and Lisa Hupp and their son, Hunter, as well as the unidentified pilot.
Hunter Hupp told Fox Sports, “They were really an asset to helping us out, because we were the only ones out there for a while … They went out for a nice afternoon ride and just happened to come upon a stranded helicopter family.”
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Maj. David Arthur called Gabbert a “citizen hero” for his efforts.
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