'He saved my life': Woman rescued from van sinking in floodwaters by police officer

'He saved my life': Police officer rescues woman from van stuck in floodwaters Advertisement Updated: 10:00 AM EST Nov 7, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Ari Hait Reporter 'He saved my life': Police officer rescues woman from van stuck in floodwaters Updated: 10:00 AM EST Nov 7, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Ari Hait Reporter A Florida police officer rescued two people trapped in a sinking van after floodwaters pushed their van into a canal Monday morning. Maria Andrade, the woman who was rescued, told Hearst sister station WPBF 25 News she was in the back of the van on her way home from a doctor's appointment when floodwaters pushed the van into a canal. Advertisement The driver was able to call 911 and ask for help. 'Catastrophic flood event' prompts rescues, evacuations in parts of Tennessee, Georgia The police officer's body camera footage shows him arriving less than two minutes after the call and immediately entering the water. The officer first pulled the driver out of the van and, with the help of firefighters, rescued Andrade, who was trapped inside. Andrade, who only speaks Spanish, explained through her son, Raul Morales, that the floodwaters had gotten so bad, it was hard to tell where the road was. "She says it was raining really, really hard," Morales said. "She couldn't even see the road. It was just water." Off-duty officers rescue woman from burning car Andrade said the van began sinking and filling up with water. "She could hear the water just gushing in there, and she was like, 'That's what pretty much told me, uh-oh. I'm in trouble,'" Morales said. Maria said she couldn’t unlatch her seat belt and was trapped inside the van. But she also said she didn’t have time to be scared because the officer arrived so quickly. The van's driver told police the only way to get Maria out was through the back. One person entered the van and pushed while others pulled her out. VIDEO | 'Not all cat rescues happen in trees': Kitten rescued from busy freeway "She wants to thank the first responders for being really, really on top of it. She realized how quick they were about it and made her feel better about her situation," Morales said. "Thank you for helping her out and for being there for her. It’s just ... there's no words for it." Make WLWT a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks High school band member stunned as 'Thunderstruck' performance goes viral Defense attorney for man convicted in Tupac murder trial found dead in Las Vegas Watch: Giant pandas make much-anticipated debut at Zoo Atlanta 19-year-old to become one of Massachusetts' youngest representatives in state history