Phoenix (3TV/CBS 5) – The Arizona Department of Safety has released body-worn camera video captured during the rescue of a stranded driver in Tonto Creek on January 2nd.
A Gila County sheriff’s deputy said a man in a pickup bypassed a barricade and was caught in the flood waters. A DPS rescue helicopter was called in to assist. In the edited footage, DPS rescuers are seen instructing the driver to climb out of the truck’s rear window, handing over the flotation device and flying it to safety. He was taken to a nearby police station and eventually handed over to an agent at the Gila County Sheriff’s Office, who issued a subpoena.
The release of the footage comes on the heels of local authorities working to complete a $26 million bridge across the area by October 2023. For years, many residents of the Tonto Basin have pressured local authorities to build a bridge across the area to prevent deaths and further rescues.State Representative David Cook I asked a family in Arizona in a recent interview“How many lives does it take before this is the necessary monetary value?”
DPS officials are urging everyone to turn to avoid drowning before going down roads known to be flooded. Vehicles can be swept away in as little as 1-2 feet of water.
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