An incredible rescue was recorded on a police officer’s body cam— and you won’t believe what happened one minute after everyone was out of harm’s way.
Last Friday evening Austin, Texas police got a call about a woman crying on the Southwest side of the city.
When officers arrived to the area they saw a car trapped on a bridge. There were three young women and a dog inside the vehicle. Floodwaters were rising around them.
Officer Matthew Valli was one of the patrolmen who arrived on the scene. “I saw a female screaming from the passenger side window of the car. I was like, ‘We need to do something now, or it’s not going to end well,’” he said.
Valli put on a life preserver and tied a rope around himself, while two other officers held the other end of the rope.
“Officer Vallei, without hesitation, entered the rushing water and approached the vehicle as it was getting closer to going off the side,” Assistant Chief Richard Guajardo said.
The video shows the officers getting the first two women out. Then the third woman squeezes out the car window, with the dog, but they both got pulled under the strong current.
The situation grew dire.
Valli grabbed onto the woman, and the dog, and then the dog’s collar broke. “It just snapped right off,” Valli said.
The woman then grabbed the dog tightly, not letting go, while Valli tried to pull them to safety. Another officer entered the water and grabbed onto Officer Valli. But the current is so fierce it nearly pulls them all over the bridge.
Then things looked bleak: The woman lost her grip on the dog, and the dog got sucked back into the fast-moving water. You can hear her screaming for someone to help save the Boxer looking mix.
All three officers continued working to haul the woman and dog to safety.
Then another surprise: Right when the dog was close to drier ground he was like, “Oh no, I’m scared, and I’m not moving!
He remained in the water, hesitant to move. Everyone called the dog. You can hear the officers saying, “Come on puppy!”
The women then join in calling for the dog to come to them.
Finally, the pooch decided walking away from the rushing water was the best option, and the dog was saved too.
But it was a narrow escape for everyone, a minute after everyone was safe, the car went over the side of the bridge.
“I’m just extremely ecstatic and happy that everyone came out of this alive,” said Guajardo.
Police now have this reminder for anyone driving and they see floodwaters ahead: Turn around and don’t drown.
