Four people rescued after vehicle swept off road by floodwaters
It was a team effort rescuing four people after floodwaters swept their vehicle off of the road in the 4800 block of Burnet County Road 207.
“We got a lot of help,” said Forrest Freitag, chief of Northeast Burnet County Fire Rescue. “We were able to safely locate and (rescue) everyone.”
Freitag said his department was dispatched at about 11 p.m. Monday, June 27, after a vehicle attempting to ford a low-water crossing was pushed down the creek.
“One of the persons, the first one to get out, was swept away downstream,” the chief said. “The other three basically were able to self-extricate themselves and get to shore, where we located them.”
Along with Freitag’s agency, several others with swift-water boats and capabilities responded, including the Cassie Volunteer Fire Department, Lampasas Fire Department, and Killeen Fire Department. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens arrived with a boat and a helicopter.
The helicopter was able to locate the fourth person at around 2 a.m. Tuesday, about three-quarters of a mile downstream.
“They had managed to hold onto a tree and self-extricate themselves from the water. And once the floodwater receded, we were able to go in and get them,” Freitag said. “Nobody had any life-threatening injuries, mostly bumps and bruises with maybe the possibility of a broken bone.”
Other agencies assisting in the search and rescue were the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office, Acadian EMS, and the Burnet Fire Department-EMS. Freitag said a total of 36 responders turned out, and he credited everyone’s hard work for the successful rescue.
