WATCH | US woman survives for 15 hours on top of submerged car before being rescued
US woman rescued from creek after 15 hours
A woman in the US state of California survived by sitting on top of her submerged car for around 15 hours in the rushing waters of a creek, before being rescued by the emergency service personnel, said the local fire department.
About the rescue
The woman in the California city of Livermore was stranded on top of her car in a swift-moving creek after she had attempted to drive across a rain-swollen stream and cement bridge around 7:30 pm (local time) Monday (Jan 22), said the Alameda County Fire Department.
The woman was spotted the next morning just after 10:00 by a camper who called the fire department. She was later foundby the fire crew who began planning the rescue and called the California Highway Patrol (CHP) for help.
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A CHP helicopter was able to lower a rescue personnel who pulled the woman out of the creek. The video was recorded with what appears to be a body or helmet camera and captured the moment when a rescue technician was lowered to the vehicle from the hovering H-30 chopper.
Subsequently, the woman was hoisted up in a life preserver ring and lifted to safety.
What happened?
The police believe that the woman tried to cross the creek where the water was moving at a significant speed after recent rains. The bridge was flooded, it was dark, and the driver underestimated how deep the water actually was, said the Alameda County Fire Department.
The CHP Golden Gate Division Air Operations wrote, “It appears the victim attempted to drive across a creek that was moving fairly swiftly due to recent rains, causing her vehicle to overturn in the creek.”
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“She had to swim out of the vehicle…climbed on top of the vehicle, then waited it out,” said Fire Battalion Chief of Alameda County, Kent Carlin.
“It could have had a whole different outcome. She could have been swept downstream, but she was strong enough to get up on top of the vehicle.” The fire department officials said she was later taken to a hospital.
“She was cold and in good condition,” the Alameda County Fire Department saidin a post on X.
(With inputs from agencies)