{"id":14622,"date":"2016-11-21T16:21:16","date_gmt":"2016-11-21T16:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14622"},"modified":"2016-11-21T16:21:16","modified_gmt":"2016-11-21T16:21:16","slug":"nc-off-duty-deputy-rescues-teens-from-flooded-suv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14622","title":{"rendered":"NC off-duty deputy rescues teens from flooded SUV"},"content":{"rendered":"

(WECT<\/a>) \u2013 An off-duty deputy with the Brunswick County Sheriff\u2019s Office saved four teenagers from their car stuck underwater Saturday morning.<\/p>\n

According to a post from the sheriff\u2019s office Facebook page, Deputy Chris Powell was on his way home from a hunting trip when he saw a young person flagging him down for help on Exum Road.<\/p>\n

Deputy Powell never drives down Exum Road, but said his wife wanted to stop for food, which changed their path home and possibly saved the teenagers<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure everybody in the world has heard \u2018Everything has happened for a reason\u2019 and this is proof,\u201d said Powell. \u201cLiterally the way he (the driver waving for help) was coming up out of the ditch when we was coming around the curve, if we had been 10, 15 seconds earlier, we\u2019d have never saw him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily, the driver was able to get Deputy Powell\u2019s attention, that\u2019s when his protective instincts kicked into high gear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was scared to get out, I was having a panic attack and then I got on top of the car after getting out of the car,\u201d said Amber Pridgen, a passenger in the car. \u201cWe saw Deputy Powell, I saw him lifting my sister out, then I was next.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the four teenagers in the crash, Deputy Powell is their saving grace. An emotional Deputy Powell said he\u2019s just glad he was there to help at the right time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank god they are all safe today. Hopefully they are in school,\u201d stated Deputy Powell. \u201cThey may be a little sore but they are here, and that\u2019s the key.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two days after the crash, Deputy Powell wanted to see the kids were safe for himself. He visited Amber Pridgen and her sister, Alex, at West Brunswick High School. The Pridgen girls said they\u2019ve been walking the halls Monday with a new sense of gratitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so thankful for him stopping and helping us when we were in need,\u201d said Pridgen. \u201cI hope nobody has to go through it (the crash) as a teenager.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Amber and Alex said they\u2019ve rarely been in car crashes, but Deputy Powell deals with them more often.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been first on scene on a couple roll overs off duty,\u201d said Deputy Powell. \u201cIt\u2019s not about me, you crawl in, you put yourselves in harm\u2019s way to make sure you can save someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n