PASCO COUNTY — Pasco Sheriff’s Deputy Buddy Allman was on duty in the hours following Hurricane Milton on Oct 18, 2024.
“It was my job to notify the people in those low-lying areas that we were sure how much the water would come up,” Allman said from his home in Zephyrhills.
When the road washed away, he was in this Humvee on Dixie Avenue near Dade City.
“The whole concrete just fell out from underneath me.”
The drop was more than ten feet down.
“The Humvee was full of water in seconds; it was completely full of water. I was upside down. I couldn’t get my door open because it was against a piece of asphalt. And I just had no other way out,” Allman said.
WATCH: Pasco deputy recalls 'miracle' recovery after he was saved from hurricane flood waters
There were many heroes involved in saving Buddy, but Dade City Sgt. Robert Shireman is the one who pulled him out after six minutes underwater.
Buddy says he died three times that day, eventually making it to Lakeland Regional Hospital.
“I took one look at him. And it wasn’t good. It just was not good at all. And the hospital gave him less than 2%,” said Buddy’s wife, Belinda.
After more than three weeks in a coma, Buddy woke up, not knowing everything he’d been through.
Then, after six weeks, this is the moment: he walked out of the hospital and headed home.
“They called me a miracle when I finally recovered,” Allman said.
He wants to return to work when he can, but he’s still recovering from several injuries.
The financial strain is also tough, but supporters have set up a GoFundMe.
And a benefit is planned for the end of May.
“I’m super glad to have him home. He still has a lot of medical but it’s ok. I’ll walk beside him for every step it takes. And we will get through it,” Belinda said.
“Thanks to the doctors and nurses at Lakeland Regional and the support of the sheriff, I was able to make it through,” Buddy said.
"There are no safeguards, and I feel like that's part of where the system failed"
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