Dramatic moment police form human chain to rescue woman trapped inside car after floodwaters drag vehicle downstream
27 April 2023, 21:04 | Updated: 27 April 2023, 21:06
The moment a woman was rescued from her flooded car has been captured on camera by police, after officers formed a human chain and smashed windows in a bid to rescue her.
The incident, which took place on Tuesday morning on a flooded ford between Pershore and Drakes Broughton, near Worcester, saw the woman requiring police assistance as her car was engulfed by floodwater.
After emergency services arrived, they discovered the woman's car more than 30-foot downstream, sinking deeper into the murky water.
The dramatic footage, captured on police body cams, then shows officers linking arms as they wade out to the vehicle.
The car appears to be almost entirely submerged by the time they arrive.
Officers can then be seen smashing the rear window of the vehicle in a bid to save the driver after the car's electronics fail, leaving her unable to exit the vehicle.
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After successfully breaking the glass, an officer can then be seen dragging the woman from the car before the entire vehicle disappears beneath the surface.
The woman can be heard apologising to officers from inside the vehicle, with the officers responding: "Don't apologise lovely, don't apologise."
A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: "Officers from Worcester helped save a woman from a flooded ford earlier this week after her car became stuck in the water.
"As the woman was in immediate danger officers acted quickly to rescue her with one officer wading into the water to keep the woman calm while other officers worked on breaking the driver’s window.
"The woman was rescued from the vehicle within 20 minutes of the call to police."
Chief Inspector Brian Gibbs added: 'Unfortunately the woman found herself in difficulty in the ford and we’re really pleased officers were able to act so swiftly and rescue her before the vehicle sank too far under the water. Thankfully she wasn’t injured during the incident.
"This is however a stark reminder of how dangerous the water can be and we would always urge motorists to take care and avoid driving through large pools of water.
He added: "I am immensely proud of the work of our team, they all acted in the finest traditions of policing acting quickly and instinctively working together as a team to rescue the lady."
