Crews Rescue Group Stranded In Truck Near Flooded Russian River
GUERNEVILLE (KPIX 5) -- Neeley Road in Guerneville was closed Tuesday night after it turned into a river, but the driver of a pickup truck decided to chance it.
Her friends wanted to go back into the neighborhood to check on their cats.
They didn't make it.
They were stranded for about a half hour before rescuers from the Russian River Fire District had to wade out, get them on the rescue rafts and boat them to safety.
KPIX 5: What happened here?
RESCUE VICTIM: We drove through, water came up over the top of the hood, blocked air intake and it stalled.
KPIX 5: You didn't see the road closed signs?
VICTIM: They were off to the sides, and it wasn't blocked at all.
KPIX 5: I'm assuming you thought you could get through the water as it was getting higher?
VICTIM: Yeah, well it rose as we got stuck.
KPIX 5: You have any regrets about that?
VICTIM: Obviously a stuck truck.
Russian River Fire District Chief Max Ming has a message to folks who might think they could probably make it.
"Well, like everybody else is saying -- 'turn around, don't drown.' We've got to get that word out...this could have been avoided."
Ming said,"The river's still got, I understand, 3 more feet to go and that's going to get deeper. And we don't want to be doing this anymore tonight."
