‘I’m going to die.’ Manatee County couple recalls rescue from retention pond in Pinellas

It was a night they will likely never forget, but thanks to the quick actions of the Lealman Fire and Rescue department, Manatee County couple Susan and Craig Scoughton are alive to tell the tale.

As Tuesday’s cold front brought with it a line of severe storms, the Scoughtons were driving their SUV in Lealman to visit a relative. It was around 7 p.m. when they crashed into a retention pond off Park Street and 54th Avenue due to the intense rain making it difficult to see the unfamiliar roadway.

Susan Scoughton told Spectrum Bay News 9 that she was driving and headed for a red light she could make out, but didn’t realize the pond was between the couple and the light.

“The next thing I know, we’re in the water,” she told the news station. “It was up to my feet, it was up to my knees, it was up to my boobs, it was up to my neck and we were able to call 911.”

A dispatch operator quickly informed the couple to break the window and get out of the vehicle, but, “All we had was an umbrella and it broke,” she said.

Everything was happening in a matter of seconds and the couple’s vehicle just kept sinking deeper.

Craig Scoughton grabbed his wife and pulled her into the backseat, telling her, “You must get in the backseat because there’s an air bubble.”

But the water kept pouring in and Susan Scoughton said she panicked.

“I’m going to die. I’m going to die. There’s no way I’m getting out of here. I’m going to die,” she recalled.

No sooner did she finish that statement to her husband, the couple heard a splash in the water. It was Allen Smay, a Lealman Fire Rescue paramedic. His timing couldn’t have been better.

“Initially when we got there, there was maybe eight to nine inches of the glass showing,” Smay told Bay News 9. “it was enough that Mr. McCullum was actually able to get in there and pop the glass. But it just continued sinking the entire time it was in front of us.”

Firefighters and paramedics were able to grab Craig Scoughton, but Susan was still trapped inside. Smay said he got inside as best as he could and began sweeping his arms in hopes of making contact. It took two attempts, but on the second try, he made contact with her hair and was able to pull her to safety.

Susan Scoughton was just about to give up.

“I’m like, ‘That’s it.’ I’m dead,” she said. “I’ve lived a long life. I’m happy with my life. Craig’s safe and I’m dying. And then they got me. They pulled me out the window. ... I’m very, very, very grateful and humble.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2019 at 11:57 AM.