On Thursday night, the two were rescued by a helicopter after driving past a road closure sign into a flooded wash.
The two were rescued by helicopter from above an off-road vehicle stranded in floodwaters southwest of Phoenix.
At approximately 9:12 p.m., an agent answered a call about two individuals driving a CanAm UTV off-road vehicle on the Gila River on El Mirage Road south of Southern Avenue. To the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said the two were clinging to a sign above the vehicle. “Of note, El Mirage Road is closed to vehicular traffic between Southern Avenue and Indian Springs with large ‘no traffic’ signs and barricades due to the large amount of water in the Gila River. .” Sheriff’s Office.
The two stranded drivers had to go through all marked road closures and enter a flooded washroom, where they were stranded, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputy officers and several other fire departments attempted to rescue the two, but were unsuccessful due to “turbulent water,” according to the sheriff’s office.
A sheriff’s office helicopter was able to lift both stranded individuals from the roof of the vehicle and lower the deputy on a hoist who took them to receive medical assistance.
Those rescued were uninjured, according to the sheriff’s office, and deputies admitted they deliberately bypassed marked barricades and drove through flowing water before being swept away.
The sheriff’s office said the driver, who was unidentified, was released after being summoned for reckless driving and a misdemeanor.
Read the passage “Don’t drive into flooded areas.” Arizona Emergency Information Network website“If flooding occurs around your vehicle, abandon it and move to higher ground if it is safe to do so. You can get swept away.”
