Video shows infant being rescued from car trapped in Texas floodwaters
Police video showed the dramatic rescue of an infant from a car trapped in floodwaters in southern Texas on Saturday, after the driver of the vehicle entered a creek crossing that had become inundated by heavy rain.
Video shared by the Beeville Police Department showed first responders safely retrieving the baby in its carrier, while other officers and firefighters helped rescue the remaining occupants of the vehicle. No one was hurt, the department said.
The car had driven into a flooded low-water crossing in Beeville, a city some 100 miles southeast of San Antonio, police said. Heavy rain had moved quickly into the area, and authorities had not yet set up barricades to prevent vehicles from trying to cross the creek. Police said the local fire chief had attempted to signal to the driver to stop, but the driver did not see him waiving.
Once the car entered the flooded crossing, the driver could no longer control its movements and rushing water started to push it away.
In the video, first responders entered the flooded area and pulled the infant out through the passenger's side door. Panicked, the driver handed the infant to the responder in a baby carrier, and a second responder quickly covered it with his coat to shield the child from falling rain. It was unclear whether there were other passengers inside the car.
Low-water crossings are built just above the surface of the bodies of water they traverse, making them quite dangerous and prone to severe flooding during storms. The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi, Texas has issued a flood warning for the Aransas River in Bee County.
Beeville police said conditions around low-water crossings can change rapidly, and one "may look passable one minute" but "quickly become dangerous the next."
"Situations like this are a reminder that flood water is nothing to gamble with," the police department said. "It does not take much moving water to push a vehicle off the roadway, and by the time you realize how dangerous it is, it can already be too late."
Police urged people to drive slowly during periods of heavy rain and exercise extra caution near creek crossings, as well as other roadways "that are known to take on water."
"No errand, shortcut, or destination is worth risking your life or your family's safety," the department said.