In a video-taped incident reportedly occurring during Louisiana floods that killed at least three people by Saturday night, yells of “I’m drowning!” came from a nearly submerged Mazda Miata. Upon finding the car, a boater carried out an intense save of its driver—and her dog—once it sank.
Though we were unable to find confirmation that the people involved escaped floodwaters in current reports, everyone appears to be safe at the end of the video. But even knowing the positive outcome, the footage is nerve wracking.
After some frantic conversation between the boaters and the woman trapped inside, the soft top on this particular Miata allowed the boaters to take a knife to the car and send a man into the water to help her. Water began pouring into the car upon cutting the top open, and the man pulled the driver out after the car went fully under.
The woman immediately began calling for someone to save her dog. With the car completely out of sight, the boaters respond, “We can’t get the dog.” But the guy who went in to save the Miata occupants dove down anyway, coming back to the floodwater surface with a tiny white dog.
There isn’t much information about the video other than it came from WAFB, a station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The WAFB report didn’t state when or where the incident occurred, but given the state’s widespread flooding—referred to as “major disaster” by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, according to CNN—and a publish date of Aug. 13, the video is likely from the current flooding.
Of the three confirmed deaths from the floods, two died in vehicles overtaken by the water. The floodwaters rose during heavy rains around Baton Rouge, and CNN reports that the weather is expected to move west.
Update, Aug. 14 at 12:30 p.m.: Jalopnik received an email from a person who claims to be friends with the boaters and identified the man as 26-year-old David Phung, which was later reported by the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, KHOU and others. The emailer also said all involved were OK, and a wife of one of the boaters, identified as Mary Dixon, is coordinating the rescue efforts.
They’ve run into a bit of trouble with the boat, but we’re told that they’re still out there making rescues:
There are still so many people needing help. In fact the men with the boat are out doing rescues again today but at this time their boat is without a working fuel pump and they are trying to find a replacement.