Watch: Marin County sheriff's deputy saves driver from rising flood waters
A Marin County Sheriff's deputy helped save a driver who became trapped when her vehicle ended up in a flooded creek during Tuesday's atmospheric river storm, in a rescue caught on camera.
According to deputies, the driver was traveling along Platform Bridge Road outside Point Reyes Station just after 5 a.m. when she encountered a puddle and lost control.
Her vehicle ended up in a flooded creek alongside the roadway and became inoperable. At the same time, the car was quickly filling up with water.
The driver was able to call 911 and Deputy Mike Dawson of the sheriff's office responded.
Body camera video shows Dawson arriving at the scene shortly before 5:10 a.m. and jumping into the water within seconds. Dawson then broke the rear window with his baton and was able to contact the driver.
The video then shows Dawson removing items from the vehicle to create an escape route for the driver.
"I'm right here, okay? I'm going to get you out," the deputy is heard saying in the video. "Just relax, okay? It's cold, I know."
The driver responded, "I'm not worried about the cold, I'm just worried about getting out."
Dawson pulls the driver out through the rear window and brings her to safety. Less than 10 minutes after Dawson arrived at the scene, the vehicle is seen submerged in the creek.
"The Marin County Sheriff's Office is proud of the actions taken by Deputy Mike Dawson," said a message at the end of the video.
The Sheriff's Office also reminded drivers not to drive through standing water, noting that two other vehicles became stuck after bypassing road closure signs placed out by the Marin County Department of Public Works.
"Please don't put yourself at risk by being careless," the sheriff's office said.
