A woman was stranded on top of her overturned car for nearly 15 hours as heavy floodwaters surged off a California road.
Thrilling footage shows rescuers pulling the woman from the rushing water to the safety of a helicopter at around 10am on Tuesday.
She was seen eagerly reaching out to California Highway Patrol aviators after being trapped overnight with only the clothes on her back to keep warm.
The woman was rushed to a local hospital and treated for hypothermia, but is expected to make a full recovery. This was announced by the Alameda County Fire Department.
The woman found herself in a terrifying situation the night before at around 7:30 p.m. when she tried to drive across a flooded road in Del Valle Regional Park, about 20 miles east of Fremont.
She had underestimated the depth of the water after a recent storm hit the area and she was quickly swept away and turned over in the dark.
“She had to swim out of the car,” said Battalion Fire Chief Kent Carlin. he told WATE.
“[She] I climbed on top of the car and waited for it to disappear. ”
The woman lost her cell phone and other belongings when her car overturned and had no way to seek help herself.
Luckily, a camper found her the next morning and called 911.
Fire officials sent swim rescuers and prepared to lower a ladder into the overturned vehicle before CHP's Golden Gate Division Air Operations launched a helicopter.
“She was actually in good spirits and was speaking coherently to us,” Carlin said. “I think it was pretty shocking at first when this happened.”
This horrific incident is an example of why drivers should avoid driving through water, especially after a rainstorm.
“It's more powerful than you think. When the water is flowing fast like it is in this situation, there's a lot of power in that water,” the battalion chief said.
