DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – New dashcam video shows a Durham County sheriff’s deputy rescue a man from a car during this week’s flash flooding.
As rain poured down on Durham on Monday, Deputy Patrick Clark pulled up to a road that turned into a river to save the stranded driver.
“It’s instinctive, you don’t really think about it, you just know what you need to do,” Clark said.
He was working an off-duty assignment when someone let him know the driver needed help. As water gets deeper and deeper, Clark and a good Samaritan are able to break a window and get the driver out.
About seven minutes after Deputy Clark arrives, he and the driver start to emerge from the flood water. The two continued to wade back to Clark’s patrol car, and by the time you see most of their bodies, you can barely see the car.
“When we were all out of the car, the water was now well over my height, it was probably about 6’3, 6’4,” Clark said.
The rescue is a reminder of how quickly flash flooding can escalate.
“Turn around don’t drown, it’s a lot worse than you think it is,” Clark said.
It’s important advice for drivers as more flash flooding is expected in Wake and Durham counties on Thursday.
