Police video released by Beeville authorities shows first responders pulling an infant from a car that became trapped in rising floodwaters after driving into a flooded low-water crossing in southern Texas.
The incident occurred in Beeville, about 100 miles southeast of San Antonio, after heavy rain quickly inundated a creek crossing. Video shared by the Beeville Police Department shows officers and firefighters reaching the vehicle, retrieving the baby in its carrier through the passenger-side door and shielding the child with a coat as they moved it to safety. The driver and other occupants were also aided; the department said no one was injured.
Officials said the crossing had become dangerous before barricades could be put in place. The local fire chief reportedly attempted to wave drivers away, but the driver did not see the warning and entered the flooded roadway. Once the car was in the rushing water, the driver lost control and the vehicle began to be pushed downstream.
Low-water crossings are constructed just above the water surface and can flood rapidly, creating hazardous conditions during storms. The National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi has issued a flood warning for the Aransas River in Bee County.
Beeville police urged residents to treat floodwater as dangerous and avoid attempting to drive through flooded areas. “It does not take much moving water to push a vehicle off the roadway,” the department said, advising drivers to slow down in heavy rain, exercise extra caution near creek crossings and remember that no errand or shortcut is worth risking life or safety.