Police dispatch audio captured the pleas of a woman trapped in a flooded car in Washington state.
“Please help me. My car is full of water,” the unidentified woman told emergency operators in Stanwood, about 50 miles north of Seattle, on Wednesday morning. The area was being pounded by rain and heavy winds.
CNN affiliate KOMO said the woman apparently drove around a “road closed” sign as the nearby Stillaguamish River started to flood. Instead of getting out of the Toyota Camry and trying to walk to dry land, she decided to stay put.
As the water started to rise, so did her desperation. She used her cell phone to call 911.
“The water is all the way up to my roof in the car,” she said. “I’m losing my breath. I’m hyperventilating now. Oh my God, somebody please.”
The affiliate said the woman was rescued after a tense 45 minutes by responders who used a tractor to reach the almost fully submerged car.
The woman was drenched, cold and shaken — but survived the ordeal.
Police warned drivers to pay attention to closure signs when water is on the road, saying failure to do so can result in a $430 ticket.