MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. -- Three people survived a Wednesday morning helicopter crash in the Gulf of Mexico.
It happened just before 11 a.m. a little less than a mile west of Anna Maria Island.
Investigators tell 10News the privately-leased chopper was flying low over the water and following a boat for a photo shoot.
When the helicopter went down, that boat raced over to rescue the three people aboard who suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
A 29-foot U.S. Coast Guard vessel was dispatched and personnel helped care for the victims. The Coast Guard escorted the other boat and injured people to the Coquina Beach South Boat Ramp in Bradenton Beach, where emergency medical workers were waiting to take them to Blake Medical Center in Bradenton.
Deputies with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit also helped at the scene.
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