A California woman was rescued Tuesday after spending about 15 hours stranded on top of her overturned car that was partially submerged in rushing water on a flooded remote road, officials said.
The woman had tried to the other side of a flooded road in the 7000 block of Del Valle Road in Livermore at around 7:30 p.m. Monday night, the Alameda County Fire Department said. She underestimated how deep the water was and her car was swept away.
The rapid water overturned the vehicle, forcing the woman to swim into the cold waters and climb on top of the car. Officials told KTVU FOX 2 that the woman lost her cell phone and could not call for help.
“During that time that her vehicle overturned in the water, she lost phone and all other important items not to mention it was a bad coverage area anyway,” Battalion Chief Kent Carlin said.
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On Tuesday morning, a camper in the area spotted the woman still stranded on top of the overturned car and called for help. Officials said the woman had been on top of the car for about 15 hours.
“You could tell from her condition that she was cold, her hands were discolored, she had been there overnight,” Carlin told the station.
Firefighters prepared to use a truck for a ladder rescue, but the California Highway Patrol instead assisted with a helicopter.
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Video footage captured the chopper lowering down personnel to hoist the woman to safety as churning water flowed down the roadway.
“The water was significantly rapid when we arrived, I can only imagine that last night it was flowing a little heavier,” Carlin said.
Officials said that despite being in the cold weather overnight, the woman did not appear to be injured. She was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
