Three friends to get 'citizen hero' awards for actions in rescuing St. Lucie County deputy

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A weekend day of camping and spending time with friends and family on an island in the Indian River Lagoon turned into a dramatic rescue last month of a St. Lucie County sheriff’s deputy.

Three friends — Brandon Keller, 30; Kyle Purvis, 34; and 28-year-old Cody King — are being recognized Wednesday at the St. Lucie County Fire District with citizen hero awards for their actions in the March 9 incident.

Deputy Ryan Betsinger sustained severe wounds to areas including his torso and collarbone after apparently being struck by propellors on his twin-engine boat after being thrown from the vessel into the Indian River Lagoon north of Fort Pierce, according to officials and the three men.

“It does make me feel good that I'm actually being recognized for doing something and my kids are going to get to see me be recognized,” Purvis, a Vero Beach native, said in a recent interview. “It sets a good example.”

Purvis said he was camping on an island for his son’s 12th birthday. His wife, two other children and others were there.

The island is not far from Torpey Road in northern St. Lucie County.

Purvis said he was talking with his uncle and watching the boats go by and saw a yacht pass.

He said the sheriff’s boat was not going fast, but was on a plane cruising along.

Keller, of Vero Beach, said the deputy’s vessel “hit the wake (of the larger vessel) and then when it landed it did a big 180 (turn),” and the deputy was thrown out.

King, of Vero Beach, said he thought more than one deputy was on the boat, noting it appeared the deputy’s boat had turned around to pick him up. But, they realized just one deputy had been on board.

Purvis said right after Betsinger entered the water, the motors came across and struck him.

Keller and King started pushing Keller’s boat into the water to make their way to the deputy as Purvis said he kept an eye on the deputy.

“The boat came around again and hit him twice, and it cut his life preserver off,” Purvis said.

The deputy’s boat continued circling.

Initially, Purvis thought the injured person was a civilian.

“There is stuff hanging off of him and I thought it was a person in dive gear, but … it was his Kevlar vest, his pants, his shirt, all of it was just hanging in pieces,” Purvis said. “There was stuff floating everywhere in the water.”

Keller said they managed to get Betsinger onto a dive platform on the back of Keller’s 25-foot boat.

King said Betsinger was speaking at first, saying he needed to get to the U.S. Coast Guard station, which is on Hutchinson Island off Seaway Drive to the south. They called 911 and explained what was happening. They estimated it was 3 to 4 miles to the Coast Guard station, though Keller’s boat is speedy.

“We just booked it to the Coast Guard station,” King said.

Purvis said Betsinger told him he grasped for anything to keep himself afloat.

“He's like, ‘I was winded, I only had one lung working. Just, I couldn't do it anymore,’” Purvis recalled. “‘And then I heard a boat come up, and it was you guys behind me.’ And he's like, ‘If you guys weren't there, I was done.’”

Paramedics met the men at the Coast Guard station and took Betsinger to a hospital.

The Sheriff’s Office stated on social media the deputy’s injuries were “consistent with being struck by engine propellers.”

“We are currently working with FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) to determine the cause of this incident, but our initial findings suggest that the vessel may have struck a passing/rogue wave,” the Sheriff’s Office stated.

A report obtained Monday via a records request from the Sheriff’s Office contained no narrative information about what happened.

Sheriff’s spokesperson Tonya Woodworth has not returned numerous voice messages left with her about a variety of issues, including crimes and routine matters, over a period of months.

A request Monday to the FWC for a report about the incident has not been fulfilled.

In a statement provided by the St. Lucie County Fire District and attributed to Sheriff Keith Pearson: “If it wasn’t for the swift actions of our community, first responders, and medical staff, we’re certain Ryan wouldn’t be with us today. For that, we are forever it their debt.”

The three friends said another person in another boat was able to take control of Betsinger’s vessel.

Meanwhile, King said it’s nice to be recognized.

“I would do it for anybody,” King said. “When you see something like that, you just hop into action and do the right thing and help out as best you can.”

He said Betsinger called the day after the incident, and was thankful.

“It was good to hear from him, too. It was a scary situation,” King said. “He got injured pretty good."

Keller said he was glad he was there “at the right time.”

Purvis said he was glad his children could witness their actions.

“That way they can see you do not have to be scared to ... help someone,” he said. “You just have to go.”

Wrong-way crash: Crash involving two deaths, wrong-way driver shuts down Interstate 95 in St. Lucie County

Deadly shooting: Fatal shooting at Indrio Savannahs Preserve; SLC Sheriff's Office investigating

Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vero Beach friends to get hero awards after rescuing St. Lucie deputy