A woman who called 911 as her vehicle was swept into fast-moving floodwaters in Central Texas was later found dead after an hourslong search, authorities said.
The woman told dispatchers she was being carried downstream at a high rate of speed and could not get out of her vehicle. Emergency operators remained on the line for several minutes as conditions worsened.
Before the call abruptly disconnected—likely because water had entered the vehicle—dispatchers were able to “ping” her cellphone and determine her last known location. That information guided deputies and fire crew as they rushed to the area and began searching along the creek.
Multiple agencies joined the effort, deploying water rescue teams, aerial support, and drones in an attempt to locate the vehicle. The search stretched for hours as crews combed the waterway and surrounding area.
By about 4:30 p.m., responders found the vehicle several miles downstream from where it had entered the water. It was completely submerged.
The driver was found inside but did not survive.
“She succumbed to the trauma of the event,” Sheriff Josh Teitge said in the statement, thanking first responders, including the Center Point Fire Department, a Texas Department of Public Safety air unit, and local volunteers who assisted in the search.
The tragedy follows a stretch of dangerous flooding conditions across parts of Central and East-Central Texas, where emergency crews responded to multiple water rescues overnight, according to a June 15 Facebook post from Texas Game Wardens and Texas Parks and Wildlife.
In one rescue, a woman trapped inside a car pinned against a fence in Burleson County was saved after wardens broke a rear window and passed her a life jacket before pulling her out. The car had been pushed off a road at a low-water crossing and was filling with water.
After completing that rescue, wardens found their boat’s propeller had been damaged by submerged debris. With the boat disabled in fast-moving water, they secured it to a fencepost and replaced the propeller on the spot before returning safely.
Officials said that such risks are common during flood rescues and urged the public to avoid putting themselves in danger.
“Do not drive around barricades, and avoid unnecessary travel in flooded areas,” the agencies said. “Never drive or walk through floodwater. It can conceal washed-out roads, debris and other hazards, and it is often deeper and moving faster than it appears.”