Dramatic Flood Rescue After Two Become Trapped In Car

By Mark Hodge @mrhodgey

A GOOD Samaritan saves a flood victim from drowning after dragging him from his sinking vehicle

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Videographer / Director: Brett Adair, LSM
Producer: Mark Hodge, Nick Johnson
Editor: Joshua Douglas

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Wrong direction: Unsuspecting victims drives towards danger

Shot on October 4, the dramatic footage was captured by meteorologist Brett Adair, 29, who was covering the historic flooding which has engulfed South Carolina for Weather Nation TV.

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River wild: The truck was overtaken by the unprecedented flood water

Taken in state capital Columbia, the video shows hero Joe Watts swimming out to the stranded vehicle and smashing in the driver's back window before hauling him to safety.

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The driver, who has not been named, neatly drowned before hero Joe smashed in his back window and rescued him

The emergency services arrived soon after and rescued the pair from the back of the truck.

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The truck was wedged up against a tree which prevented it from being swept away by the flood water

Sunday was the wettest day in the history of the city according to the US National Weather Service with governor Nikki Haley describing the floods as a “1,000 year level of rain”.

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Good Samaritan Joe Watts starts to swim out to the stranded truck

Alabama-born Brett described how the driver nearly drowned when his white pickup truck was pulled towards an overflowing river.

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The rescue team arrive after Joe lifted the driver out of the submerged vehicle

He said: “We knew he was in trouble as he was moving toward Gills Creek which had burst its bank.

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The emergency services use a boat to rescue the two men

“He was about to drown as the water was up to his nostrils and he was ingesting water.

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A rescue worker grabs Joe and the pair are towed to safety

“Joe Watts swam out to him and knocked out the back window and pulled him on to the bed of the pickup.”

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Joe puts the rope around his body before being pulled to safety

And Brett revealed that the dangerous floods are far from over.

He said: “This is something these people have never seen - swift, high waters that rose extremely fast.

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The pair were rescued around 30 minutes after Joe pulled the driver from the flooded vehicle

“Now there is a threat of dam failures so the danger is not over - this is a prime example as to why people should stay home during flash flooding.

“This creates additional problems and congestion for law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency management.”