A family visiting Whatcom County from Arizona got caught in a tricky situation Tuesday when their SUV was caught in rapidly-rising floodwaters.
The Pelcic family was in Sandy Point when they saw a car smaller than theirs make it across water over Sucia Drive. So, they decided to go for it too.
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“The water was probably up to our ankles, so our shoes were a little wet … We figured we were OK,” said Dave Pelcic.
But soon after moving floodwater rose up to their car doors. Then, the engine stalled out.
“I probably got maybe 200 yards … and then the car just died,” said Dave Pelcic.
The family was worried they might float away, so they called 911 who told them to climb on top of their truck.
“A lot of debris was hitting the car, so the car started bobbing and then eventually, when we finally abandoned the car, that was when water was now already starting to come in,” said Dave Pelcic. “I mean, it was a matter of less than 10 minutes I would say by the time it started getting into the car.”
The stranded family was cold and wet, but they found the right person to help them at the right time.
A neighbor, Lorrie Grim, and her husband Matt spotted the Pelcic family in trouble.
She tried to toss the family a line from a crab pot, but the line was too short.
Lorrie’s boat had floated away, so the family waded waist-deep through the cold, hard current toward her.
“We just did our best, Matt and I both did, to get them safely to the dry dock or the deck over there … and we brought them home, cause what else were we going to do?,” said Lorrie Grim. “We’ve lived here for 12 years and this is the first time we’ve seen the water come … so fast and so quickly.”
“It just happened so fast. You know, I’ve seen people on the news before (when) they get stuck in flash floods and I thought ‘Well, why in the world would they be trying to drive?,’” said Nicole Pelcic. “But you don’t realize that it’s fine one minute and then, it’s not the next.”
We don’t know what happened to the Pelcic family’s rental car – but the take-away here is to remember to never drive into moving water over a roadway.
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