Texas driver dies after vehicle is swept away by fast-moving floodwaters

BANDERA COUNTY, Texas - A woman died Monday after her vehicle was swept into a creek by high, fast-moving waters and carried several miles downstream, authorities said.

Bandera County flooding

What we know:

The Bandera County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 emergency call at approximately 5:30 a.m. from a female driver who reported that her vehicle had been inadvertently pulled into a creek near Lower Mason Creek Road.

The caller told dispatchers that she was floating downstream at a high rate of speed and was trapped inside the vehicle, according to a statement from Bandera County Sheriff Josh Teitge.

Emergency operators maintained contact with the woman for several minutes before the call disconnected, which sheriff's officials said was likely caused by water infiltrating the vehicle. Before losing connection, operators successfully pinged the woman's cellphone, allowing authorities to pinpoint her last known location.

Sheriff's deputies and fire personnel immediately launched a massive search-and-rescue operation. The agency deployed swift-water rescue assets, drones, and a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter unit to scour the flooded area throughout the day.

Search crews located the completely submerged vehicle at approximately 4:30 p.m., several miles downstream from where it had first entered the water.

The driver was recovered from inside the vehicle but "succumbed to the trauma of the event," Teitge said.

The identity of the victim was not immediately released pending notification of family members.

Teitge expressed gratitude to local first responders, the Center Point Fire Department, state helicopter crews, and dozens of community volunteers who assisted in the daylong search.

Bandera is located roughly 50 miles northwest of San Antonio.

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