Latest news with #BuddyAllman
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Benefit held to help Pasco deputy injured in the line of duty
The Brief Pasco Deputy Buddy Allman was injured while alerting people to rising water during Hurricane Milton. He spent several weeks in the hospital in a medically-induced coma. The type of injury he suffered only allows him to collect 66 percent of his pay. PASCO COUNTY, Fla. - More help could be on the way for law enforcement officers injured in the line of duty across the state. The Deputy Andy Lahera Act, named after critically injured Citrus County Deputy Lahera, would help financially cover law enforcement officers injured in the line of duty. On Saturday, a benefit event for injured Pasco Deputy Buddy Allman was held at the Rotary Concourse Pavillion in Spring Hill. On October 18 last year, Allman was riding in a Humvee to urge people to evacuate as the Withlacoochee River crested from Hurricane Milton. He said, "I was in a Humvee driving up and down the roads. We had a big speaker up on top of it which would project the sound letting people know that the waters were rising." The asphalt under his and his partner collapsed. He explained, "The vehicle went down and, on its side, and I couldn't get my door open because of the way that the vehicle lodged itself in there." Roaring floodwater poured inside. "Within seconds it was all the way up to my mouth," he added, "I tried to take one last breath and when I did, I was sucking in some water." Allman's partner safely escaped. While bystanders sprang into action to rescue him. He said, "They gave me a two percent chance of survival when I left out of Dade City in the helicopter." Hurricane Season 2025 hurricane season guide: Here's how to prepare For the next 3.5 weeks, Allman was in a medically induced coma. He said, "It was touch and go at the hospital for three weeks because I was on the highest level on the machines that they would take there in order to save my life." On November 27, he was released from the hospital. But to this day, he's coping with a host of issues. "I've got torn rotator cuffs on both sides, I've got a traumatic brain injury from losing oxygen that won't get any better," he said, "I've got neuropathy from my knee to my hips on both legs." All proceeds from the event on Saturday were donated to the family. But they say with more surgeries to come, they're concerned about bills. He said, "In Florida, if you get hurt in the line of duty, and you were not chasing a fleeing felon, or you weren't shot, you only get 66 percent of your pay." Right now, full coverage eligibility only extends to law enforcement officers injured in "fresh pursuits, an emergency, or an unlawful act committed by another." The Deputy Andy Lahera Act would expand employer-paid health insurance to cover law enforcement, correctional, and correctional probation officers who are injured during an official training exercise or in the line of duty. The act currently sits at Governor Ron DeSantis' desk awaiting to be signed into law. The Source FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis gathered the information for this story. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘He died 3 times': Community rallies for Pasco deputy's recovery after flood rescue
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Pasco County deputy who nearly died in the line of duty is being honored by his community as he continues a long and difficult recovery from a near-fatal flood rescue. Deputy Buddy Allman was surveying neighborhoods in Dade City during hurricane conditions in October 2024 when the ground beneath his Humvee collapsed. The vehicle plunged into rising waters and flipped at a steep angle, trapping him inside. 'I turned down one road, and as I turned down the road, the road disappeared underneath me,' Allman said. 'The road caved in beneath me and it put the Humvee at a bad angle where the door was against the asphalt.' Allman's passenger, a Dade City police officer, escaped. But Allman was submerged. 'I ended up drowning,' Allman recalled. 'I was under between six and eight minutes.' Two bystanders and a sergeant pulled him from the water and performed CPR. He was rushed to Lakeland Regional Health, where he coded multiple times. 'At Lakeland Regional, I died two more times,' Allman said. 'Through the use of the ECMO machine and the phenomenal people at Lakeland Regional Hospital, I was able to pull through this.' Months later, Allman remains in recovery. He is currently receiving two-thirds of his salary, and his wife has left her job to become his full-time caregiver. Retired Pasco Sheriff's Office Major Brett Landsberg helped organize Saturday's fundraiser to help the family with expenses. 'He's only on two-thirds salary, and she has had to give up her job to care for him full-time,' Landsberg said. 'Yes, workman's comp covers things, but there are expenses that they have to pay for. That's why I wanted to hold this for them.' Landsberg said it was an easy decision. 'We have to take care of our own,' he said. 'We have an officer who gives the ultimate sacrifice he dies three times serving the citizens of Pasco County. We need to do something to help him and his family.' A GoFundMe campaign has also been launched to support the family, helping with medical bills, travel to appointments, and home accommodations for Allman's long-term care. To donate, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
