Dozens of cars totaled after flooding in Leominster
LEOMINSTER - Heavy rainstorms in Leominster on Monday night led not only to intense flooding, but dozens of totaled cars. Tow truck drivers scrambled to keep up, and some companies even lost their tow trucks in the flooding.
"Snowstorms piece of cake, this was incredible," said Luis Grahambell, owner of Marcel's Towing in Leominster. "I had a truck yesterday on Route 2, it took three hours to get them out."
Marcel's Towing picked up seven cars Monday night and expects to be around 30 by the end of the week. The bulk of their cars came from the parking lot outside the Mall at Whitney Field.
They captured video of their crews pulling a Jeep from the waters. The truck was submerged up to the windows. Another driver fled his BMW as it became stranded in the parking lot. He walked three miles home, and even made a stop at the bar to wash away his troubles.
"There was just people at the mall handing us their keys saying just go pick up my car. Where is it? In there, go get it," said Grahambell.
As the parking lot cleared out, more tow trucks arrived the next day. One red SUV floated off the parking lot all together. The driver told WBZ he was in the car when it started to float away. He shoved the door open and fled for higher ground.