Driver rescued from flooded Kingsland Slab
A vehicle remained stranded on the Kingsland Slab late Thursday afternoon, Sept. 1, after a flash flood that morning. Emergency services rescued the driver. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
A driver was rescued at the Kingsland Slab after his vehicle became stuck in floodwaters on Thursday morning, Sept. 1. Recent rains caused a flash flood on the Llano River, increasing flow from 221 cubic-feet per second to 7,313 cfs between Wednesday, Aug. 31, and Friday, Sept. 2, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority Hydromet.
Emergency services received a call at 10:29 a.m. Sept. 1 that a driver was trapped in a vehicle on the Kingsland Slab, a popular river crossing north of Kingsland where CR 307 and RR 3404 merge.
The Kingsland Volunteer Fire Department spearheaded the rescue and brought the driver to safety, leaving the vehicle behind. The car had to remain on the road until the water receded enough to retrieve it.
“From my understanding, (the water) rose very quickly,” said Doni Whitecotton, communications manager for the Llano County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Whitecotton, an eyewitness at the scene said the river rose in less than 15 minutes, leaving no time for it to be closed to traffic.
Waters have begun to recede and the river was flowing at a rate of 818 cfs by mid-day Friday, Sept. 2.