Dramatic Sacshe Water Rescues By Hovercraft & Helicopter
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SACHSE (CBSDFW.COM) - There were at least two dramatic high-water rescues in Sacshe Friday morning.
First, around 6:30 a.m. a woman traveling north on Miles Road approaching Pleasant Valley Road, just south of the George Bush Turnpike, became trapped in her halfway submerged car when Rowlett Creek overflowed.
The woman said she instantly knew she was in water deeper than she could drive through, but before she could back up the water rose above her hood line and stalled the car's engine. The woman was able to climb from the vehicle onto the roof, but was stranded.
At 6:45 a.m. members of Wylie Fire Rescue swift water team went to the area in a hovercraft. The first-responders first gave the woman a life jacket and then helped her off the roof of the car and into the boat.
From Chopper 11 it didn't appear that the woman was injured.
About 90 minutes after the first rescue a member of the Sachse Police Department got into trouble while sitting at a high point on Pleasant Valley Road, blocking traffic from driving down the street. The officer's full-sized SUV flooded out and was stranded less than a mile from the hovercraft rescue.was quickly caught in high water as Rowlett Creek continued to rise.
But the rescue of the police officer was precarious at best. First, the Wylie hovercraft returned to the area and tried to help, but the boat got stuck in a grove of trees and couldn't fight the fast currents. The hovercraft had to leave the officer were he was.
The second attempt to help the Sachse officer was made by a heavy duty fire rescue vehicle. The truck slowly tried to wade toward the police SUV, but rising water began to float the vehicle and it had to pull back.
Finally, a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter was called in. A line was dropped from the chopper and the officer was lifted high and away from the floodwater. The officer dangled from the helicopter for several miles, passing over power lines and livestock, before safely being lowers into an open field.
Sachse police Lieutenant Marty Cassidy said, "He's a little embarrassed. He's shaken up. You know the ride on the end of the rope, from the helicopter, was a bit unnerving. But he's fine physically, he's not hurt at all. He's just gonna have to live this down."
Pressure from floodwater is so intense that police now say they're concerned about whether the bridge at the low crossing will hold. Officials say they'll remain in the area accessing the situation.
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