Driver clings to tree after floodwaters engulf car, Massachusetts officials say
As torrential rains hit a large portion of the eastern United States, one Massachusetts driver was left hanging from a tree to stay afloat, officials said.
Around 5:30 a.m., rescue personnel were called to a flooded road to reports of a car submerged in the water, the Norwood Fire Department said in a Jan. 10 Facebook post.
They arrived to find a vehicle flooded to its roof, floating in the water across a roadway, the fire department said.
The car was empty, but rescuers soon found the driver “hanging on to a tree” nearby, the fire department said.
The driver was unable to swim, according to officials, but was able to get themselves out of their vehicle as it started to take on water.
A rescue swimmer equipped with a survival suit swam out onto the road and reached the driver, bringing them safely back to dry land, the fire department said.
They were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to officials.
The Norwood Police Department said in a separate post that the road was “currently impassable with 5-6 feet of water” and would remain closed.
Norwood, and much of the state, remains under a flood warning as of Jan. 10, according to the National Weather Service.
Norwood is about 15 miles southwest of Boston.
This story was originally published January 10, 2024 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Driver clings to tree after floodwaters engulf car, Massachusetts officials say."
