Body of elderly flood victim found in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth fire officials say the body of an elderly woman who was swept away by flood waters has been found.
Zenola Jenkins, 76, lost control of her car early Friday morning and drove off a bridge on Oak Grove Road, which is on the south side of Fort Worth.
“She entered the water. She attempted to rescue… to move, get into the car and free the victim,” said Terry Grisham with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office. “The water was moving too rapidly. It took the car and her and the occupant of the car into the creek and downstream.”
The deputy managed to grab onto a tree branch and held onto it for about two hours until she could be rescued.
The high water and currents were too dangerous for the search over the weekend.
On Monday morning, crews found Jenkins' car about a mile downstream with her body still inside.
"It's rare for us to take this long. With the rain the way it's been, it's been necessary. We couldn't get in the water -- too dangerous. Now that it receded, we were able to get in there and recover her," said Kyle Clay with the Fort Worth Fire Department.
The family of the woman said they weren't ready to talk to the media about Jenkins' death.