Officer recounts 'traumatic' flood rescue of 3 women and dog as car teetered on the edge of a bridge
Three women and a dog were rescued from a car stuck in floodwaters in Austin, Texas on May 3. Although the water doesn't look deep, you can see how dangerous just a few inches of water can be.
A Texas police officer’s body cam captured the scene of a dramatic rescue of three women and their dog, as heavy rainfall flooded the streets of southwest Austin, Texas, last Friday.
The Austin Police Department (APD) shared the video of the water rescue on Facebook. The rescue was heroically performed by three APD officers Kevin Perrydore, Benjamin Cochran and Matthew Valli.
The APD held a press conference led by South Patrol Bureau Assistant Chief Richard Guajardo to discuss both the situation and the importance of following safety precautions during flood events.
On Friday evening, officers responded to the 6700 block of Old Bee Caves Road after receiving a report of someone hearing a woman crying. Officers arrived at the scene and located a vehicle caught in rushing water on a low water crossing bridge.
As the rescue was taking place, the floodwaters continued to rise and the vehicle inched closer to going over the edge of the bridge.
(Facebook video/The Austin Police Department)
“Who else is in the car? What? Who else is in the car?” the police officer can be heard yelling to a woman hanging out the passenger side of the car. She responded that two other women and a dog were also in the car.
The officers quickly developed a plan. Officer Valli put on a life preserver, tied on the throw rope and carefully inched his way out to the vehicle trapped in the raging floodwaters, as officers Cochran and Perrydore held on to the rope from safer grounds.
The first woman was able to exit the car with relative ease. It was not until the second and third occupants that the waters started to rise more quickly around the car.
While the water does not look that deep, the video captures how powerful floodwater can be as it knocks over the second woman exiting the car.
The video gets more intense as the dog and third woman exit the car. The combination of the strong rapids and the difficult exit from the car window knocked over the dog, officer and woman into the floodwaters.
Officer Cochran moved into the water without hesitation to help the situation. He grasped Valli, who was holding on to the woman and dog. The three were almost pulled to safety when a strong current pushed the women and the dog back into the water and almost over the edge of the bridge, where strong water raged below.
The officers worked together to pull the three women away from the edge. But, just as they were moving the third woman to safer ground, the dog escaped and ran back into the floodwaters.
“Come on, puppy,” yelled the group, as the dog ran toward the car. After a few heart-stopping moments, the dog ran to them.
Ultimately, all three women and the dog were pulled to safety.
A moment later, the vehicle went over the side of the bridge, Guajardo said at the press conference.
The officers said in the press conference that this particular crossing has been problematic in past flooding situations.
(Facebook video/The Austin Police Department)
Reflecting on the rescue later at a press conference, Cochran described the event as "traumatic" and that there was a moment when he feared for his life.
"I honestly just started laughing [after the rescue] because I was happy to be alive and thankful to be alive," Cochran said at the press conference. "It's one of those things where you are on an emotional roller coaster."
He said the most important thing is to remain calm in these kinds of situations, both for himself and for the victims.
“We are proud and honored to have them in this department,” the police department wrote in the Facebook post.
Drivers should always be cautious during these flooding events.
"Please, it's not worth it. Turn around, take the extra five, 10 minutes because it's not worth getting caught in your car and potentially drowning," Cochran said.
The deepest the water became during the rescue was about waist level, but it was so strong that it pushed the car off the ledge. A human being that weighs 200 pounds isn't going to stand a chance, Cochran said.
The video depicts just how dangerous a few inches of floodwater can be. It highlights the importance of following flooding safety precautions.
Severe weather and flash flooding are expected to impact more than 46 million people from Thursday to Sunday.
“We have rains in the forecast ahead... PLEASE TURN AROUND... DON’T DROWN,” the Austin Police Department writes in the Facebook post.
There are a number of steps that you can take if you find yourself stuck driving in floodwaters.
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