In Yakima, Washington, a woman and her dog were successfully rescued from the roof of their car after being stranded in the running current of the Yakima River. The Yakima County Fire Department and the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office arrived at Zillah, south of the bridge to help the woman and her dog.
According to KpicNews, Laura Larsen and her service dog Bailey often play and explore in the area, and Friday afternoon had been no exception. No one expected the river to have risen so quickly and put them in grave danger.
Using drones and flashlights, the rescuers found Larsen and Bailey sitting on top of the vehicle. On Larsen’s Facebook page, she explained the water level had risen quickly, and the fog rolling in – all added to her error in judgment as to the depth of the water as she tried to maneuver her vehicle to return to safety. When the engine of her vehicle died, they were all swept downriver. Luckily she was able to grab her cell phone to call for help.
“For those asking, we were on a gravel area near the river just across a shallow side channel we’ve been across frequently. Unfortunately, the water level rose quickly and drastically, and the fog contributed to a huge misjudgment as to depth, in our attempt to return to safety. When the engine died, we were swept downriver so quickly, there wasn’t time to do much more than get the windows down before the power failed, grab my phone, and get onto the roof to call for help. I was able to break out the rear window and get my dog out onto the roof with me.
Not my proudest moment or top 10 favorite experiences, but we made it out safely by God’s grace and the actions of those incredible folks. Grateful.
Yakima County Fire District #5 Facebook
Lauren had to break the back window of her SUV to free Bailey as the two waited on the roof. It was so dark that Yakima firefighters reported they had seen the flashlight’s reflection off the dog’s eyes. Rescuers used a raft and paddled towards them – there were no injuries and everyone was able to go home that night thankful there are brave men and women risking their own lives to help those in need.
Follow the National Pet Rescue on Facebook for the latest animal related news.
© Rescue Writers, 2016, All Rights Reserved
Own your own one-of-a-kind design! All sales help support the continuation of our site. Pick your favorite color and style at this link.
