‘Raging’ floodwaters trap family of 3 in Jeep after trying to cross California creek
A family of three had to be rescued from serious floodwaters in California on New Year’s Day.
Their 4-wheel drive Jeep truck became trapped in multiple feet of “raging” floodwaters of an overflowing creek in San Bernardino early on Sunday, Jan. 1, KTLA reported.
They were trapped at Lytle Creek, a normally dry riverbed, San Bernardino County Fire said in a news release posted to Facebook.
“They were nervous,” Captain Jay Dimoff told KTTV. “They were in a situation where they could not get out — and if they did try and get out, they were gonna be swept downstream.”
The waters rushing around them were “multiple feet high,” officials said. Specially-trained personnel used specialized equipment to get the people out of the truck and safely on land.
To do so, they had to sit down in the freezing waters and let go of the truck where rescuers were posted and let the water carry them over to crews on shore, all while secured with a system of ropes, KTTV reported.
“To get them to walk out and sit down and get in the water — that’s the scariest part of the event,” Captain Jeremy Hanson told the station. “The water was cold, going fast, and it’s just scary, you know.”
The family was not injured in the ordeal, officials said. They were treated for mild hypothermia and declined transport to the hospital, KTLA reported.
“Heavy rainfall can cause normally dry washes and riverbeds to become raging torrents in a very short amount of time and it only takes as little as 12 inches of moving water to move a vehicle,” officials said in the release. “Never cross a road that you can’t see due to it being covered by water, remember, ‘Turn Around, Don’t Drown’.”
This story was originally published January 2, 2023 at 9:39 AM with the headline "‘Raging’ floodwaters trap family of 3 in Jeep after trying to cross California creek."
