Drunk Driver Crawls Through Alligator Swamp With Kids After Crash

A drunk driver was caught on camera wading through a swamp filled with alligators while carrying two small children after fleeing a crash scene. The terrifying ordeal started at 4 am on September 9 when Isaac Kinsey, 27, smashed his car into sandbags and a road-closure sign on Highway 33 in Lakeland, Florida. He eventually stopped against exposed tree roots inside a construction zone before running away from the accident.

When police arrived, they discovered two empty child-safety seats still strapped to the vehicle. This discovery triggered an immediate search for Kinsey and his kids. Within thirty minutes of the crash, a drone operator located Kinsey in a wooded area south of the highway. Footage showed him crawling through the marsh while holding a two-year-old and a ten-month-old baby.

The body camera video captured Kinsey struggling against the difficult terrain. He fell multiple times, letting the children sink underwater each time he hit the ground. At one point, he seemed to leave the toddler behind as he kept moving with only the infant. He dropped several more times while trying to navigate the swamp water.

An officer raced to the edge of the alligator-infested marsh to rescue them. 'I could hear them crying in the woods,' said the officer as a baby whimpered from a distance. When Kinsey finally emerged from the water, he raised his hands and claimed he did not know there was a swamp right there. The officer ignored his excuse and demanded he hand over the infant immediately.

The children were quickly taken to a local hospital for treatment before being released safely. As news spread that the kids were okay, an officer back at the crash site thanked God for finding them. Kinsey now faces three felony charges plus eight misdemeanor offenses, including two counts of negligent child abuse with great bodily harm. He admitted he was intoxicated because he displayed multiple signs of impairment.

Police Chief Sammy Taylor said his blood boiled over Kinsey's lack of care for others on the road and especially for his own children who are glad they did not drown. 'It was just like a doll he was throwing around, and several times [they] went underneath the water,' Taylor noted. As a father and grandfather himself, he added that such an act makes your blood boil.

The department warned on social media that this incident could have ended with the loss of two innocent lives. Rapid drone deployment and teamwork by responding officers helped locate the children in that extreme environment. There is no excuse for impaired driving according to authorities. Everyone is thankful these kids survived and proud of the officers who prevented an even greater tragedy.