Dramatic footage captures an Arizona sheriff’s helicopter crew rescuing a man stranded on the roof of his overturned truck as fast-moving floodwater surged around the vehicle.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said its Fox 1 aviation team was dispatched Tuesday morning to a flooded wash in Tonopah. Deputies found the man sitting on top of the overturned truck while muddy water rushed past him.
Video released by authorities shows the driver perched on the vehicle as the floodwaters rapidly moved around it.
With conditions too dangerous for rescuers to approach directly, first responders chose a “hoist rescue” as the safest way to reach him.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Fox 1 aviation crew carries out a hoist rescue after a driver became stranded in rapidly moving floodwaters. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
A Fox 1 crew member can be seen descending from the helicopter toward the truck. After securing the man in a rescue harness, she was hoisted back up with him to safety.
The man was taken to the riverbank, where fire personnel were waiting, the sheriff’s office said.
Rich Dickner, the helicopter’s pilot, told CBS News that the water was rising quickly around the overturned vehicle.
“We didn’t waste much time,” Dickner said.
“As opposed to when we first got there, you can see the water line on the video — it’s below the window — and it had risen up to the top of the window,” he continued. “So there was that urgency.”
A Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office helicopter crew responds to rescue a man stranded on an overturned truck in Arizona floodwaters. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
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Reports said Deputy Lindsey Smith was lowered roughly 80 feet from the helicopter toward the overturned truck.
She initially had difficulty finding her footing before securing herself to the vehicle, according to the report.
Authorities said the entire rescue was completed in less than five minutes.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office credited the aviation crew’s rapid response with bringing the man to safety.
“Thanks to the skill and quick response of our Aviation crew, the subject was safely brought to shore,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Excellent work, Fox 1!”
A stranded driver is hoisted from his overturned truck as floodwaters continue rushing around the vehicle in Tonopah. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
The Weather Channel reported that remnants of Hurricane Polo produced historic rainfall in parts of the Desert Southwest, helping fuel dangerous flash flooding.
The Flood Control District of Maricopa County warned drivers never to attempt crossing flooded roads.
“Remember: Conditions can change fast. If you encounter a flooded roadway, Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”
News Outlet has reached out to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for additional information.
