Waxahachie honors father-son duo who saved woman's life

WAXAHACHIE, Texas - The city of Waxahachie honored a father and son for saving young woman's life.

It was a rainy morning on July 1 when music student Jade Flores was driving along the I-35 E service road in Waxahachie. She was on her way to sing the national anthem at an event in Dallas. 

“I was driving, and the back end of my truck started sliding,” she recalled. “It hydroplaned, and I tried to over correct it. When I did, the truck flew off the service road, hit a ditch and flipped twice into a creek.”

With water rushing in and her leg stuck under the dash, Flores tried to bang on the windows to get out. She thought she was taking her final breaths so she tried to call her dad.

“If I wasn't going to be able to get out, if I didn't make it out on time, that was the last person I wanted to talk to was my dad,” she said.

But not far behind her were George Avalos and his son Jorge. Someone else who stopped to try and help Flores waved them down.

Jorge tried to kick in the door. When that didn't work, the men turned to the work tools in their truck.

“He screamed just throw me a hammer or pliers or something,” George recalled. “I had some pliers with a hammer. I threw it at him. He shouted real fast, ‘Close your eyes because we're going to bust the window.’”

“All this glass came out of nowhere,” Flores said. “They pulled me out of the water, and I was able to get out.”

Flores was reunited with both men on Tuesday night as they were given a lifesaving award from the city.

“Thank you for allowing me to see my family again,” Flores told her rescuers.