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.