Barefoot father and son airlifted from Everglades mudhole after ATV runs out of gas
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Big Cypress National Preserve, FL - A father and son stranded barefoot and soaking wet in a mudhole in the Florida Everglades were rescued Thursday night, when deputies spotted the fire they had lit to stay warm.
The men got stuck in the mud in the Big Cypress National Preserve when their ATV ran out of gas, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said. With night approaching, the men called 911 for help.
"My four-wheeler ran out of gas," the father told the 911 dispatcher. "We got stuck in a mudhole, and now we’re just here stranded. Pretty far and almost out of water with my son."
The preserve is a vast swamp that stretches 729,000 acres across multiple counties.
The father said he and his son both lost their shoes in the mud and were barefoot. He was also concerned about approaching wildlife as night began to fall.
"But the sun’s going down, and the alligators are hungry, buddy," he told the dispatcher, per WMGT-TV.
Deputies said the men were soaking wet and started a fire to keep warm.
The sheriff’s Aviation Bureau launched a helicopter and tracked the men’s coordinates. They spotted the fire the men had started and saw the duo waving at the helicopter.
Video released by the sheriff’s office shows the father and son being hoisted to safety. The sheriff’s office added that the men extinguished the fire upon their rescue.