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mizmoxiev t1_j42411f wrote

Goodness I hope his mom has a wonderful support system. What a damn tragedy.

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notunek t1_j42cjvl wrote

It's a terrible tragedy but should have been preventable. In California we are constantly told not to enter floodwater on low points in roads. Yet every year, scores of people do it because they think it is shallow enough to get through.

And every year people get stuck in the middle and first responders or ordinary citizens have to risk their lives to rescue them which is the best outcome. Sometimes they get washed away and drown.

RIP, little one.

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mtarascio t1_j42dn5z wrote

>“‘Just yourself. Not your backpack. Leave it,’” she told him as they prepared to escape, according to Doan.

I'm in two minds about the backpack, especially after this next sentence.

>“She tried to hold on to him and it was hard to stabilize things with the current,” Doan said. “And they got separated.”

I feel like using the backpack as a kind of harness to help hold on might be a good idea, probably one without a buckle but tightening the straps would have been better than holding with a hand. Although huge risk of just slipping through the straps as well.

Not trying to judge the Mom at all, just thinking out loud for myself if I ever hit such a situation.

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homonatura t1_j42gfao wrote

Backpack also becomes a sail in the water and drags you, obviously depending on the details in the moment it could go either way but I think I would still ditch it personally.

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HauntedButtCheeks t1_j42j4oo wrote

This is so sad. The mother, father, and son were stranded in their SUV which was filling with water and threatening to float away.

These were not stupid people who decided to do something risky, they had no other choice than to exit the unsafe vehicle.

The article says SUV was found later upside down filled with muddy water. They all 3 would have drowned.

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HauntedButtCheeks t1_j42jdx3 wrote

This isn't what happened. They didn't choose to enter floodwater out of ignorance, they were in a car stuck in rapidly rising floodwater. They had to get out, the car was swept away and found upside down full of mud.

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notunek t1_j42o1i7 wrote

The news said a rural road with floodwater covering the low part. Her car got stuck in the water, she removed her boy from his carseat because she was afraid the car would be washed away. It was and the water swept him from her grasp.

Sadly it happens frequently in California because of flash floods that come suddenly and block roads. People think that they can get across the water and then get stalled, the water rises and if not rescued, away they go with the car.

The last one here was 4 women going out for a Saturday night card game with friends. Their SUV stalled and was washed away. They found it the next day and later their bodies.

It's not "nice" to say the truth, but it is vital that people heed the warnings we get before every storm about not entering water on a road. Every year the swift water rescue team has to risk their lives saving people that think it is safe.

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Bunnyhat t1_j42qzf8 wrote

Umm, how did the SUV get in the flooded water in the first place?

The choice was made when they drove into the flooded road. As far as I can tell it wasn't like they were just sitting in a car and the flood happened around them. They drove into the flooded road trying to get across instead of waiting where it wasn't flooding.

This is a tragedy, but it's just another example of why you don't drive on flooded roads.

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HauntedButtCheeks t1_j42s6l8 wrote

I was under the impression these were flash floods which happen suddenly. I've been hearing about a lot of flash flooding and mudslides in Northern California recently.

They were on their way to drop the child off at school so I assumed that schools would have been closed if a flood was known about.

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notunek t1_j42s845 wrote

KTLA news -

"The Doan family drove the same route Sunday to a truck stop on Highway 101, splashing through the waters without incident.

When Doan approached Monday in light rain, there were no road closures and she didn’t think it looked any different from the day before.

“But as soon as I hit the bottom, my car started to drift and I realized that it wasn’t the same,” she said. “It was completely different.”

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CerebralAssassin88 t1_j42stjr wrote

His sweet little face...this breaks my heart. I hope he is recovered soon.

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HauntedButtCheeks t1_j42unl2 wrote

Oh my God, thats definitely their own fault then. But I still wonder why the hell would schools be open? I feel like that would encourage people into a false sense of security and make the school partially responsible by implying that it's safe enough to go out with your children.

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PapiSurane t1_j42x2zg wrote

Here come all the helpful comments from people who always make the right decisions.

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SuperSimpleSam t1_j438l13 wrote

> just thinking out loud for myself if I ever hit such a situation.

Probably the best bet is to put them on your back and have them hold on with arms and legs. This way it's less likely for the water to get between and pull you apart. This also keeps them high in the water.

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demnos7 t1_j439w89 wrote

Wait, why was school still in session when there was record flooding and cars were being washed away?

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Soziele t1_j43tnru wrote

Flash floods. Dry in the morning so kids can go to school, but rapidly gets very very bad from the rainfall later in the day. The school should still have been closed in anticipation for the storms, but a lot of school districts drag their feet when it comes to closing for "potential" bad weather.

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gnomewife t1_j44erfs wrote

The article I read said that they were used to driving over the road when the creek flooded. They made a habit of making poor choices and unfortunately, they're paying for it.

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swampopossum t1_j44eyl9 wrote

Oh my God that's so sad and 100% preventable. I grew up along a creek that floods over the road just past our house about every other year. Despite signs and barriers people always try to get through. I don't know how many people we've told not to pass and they do it anyway. One time a family had two kids in the car and their car was washed off the road downstream into the field. My biggest fear is being in a car anywhere near floodwaters. Makes me wonder if we need to invest in a nationwide public safety program to get people to stay the fuck out of flooded roads. I hope the family at least is able to recover this boys body. I can't imagine what kind of guilt they're going through.

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JBreezy11 t1_j44v6px wrote

During monsoon season in AZ, those mass SMS texts tell you to not drive and stay home when the heavy rains come out of nowhere. Scary when you're already on the highway and the rains dump on you out of the blue.

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RoxxieMuzic t1_j44w6v9 wrote

Don't I know, but I made a note of the washes that were on my regular routes, including the two on my driveway that made the house unapproachable. I pulled off to a local coffee shop or other distraction until it was clear.

I will never forget the 4 or 5 children from one family that were lost in 2004 (may have been 2005), in New River. That one really broke my heart, it was totally unnecessary and avoidable.

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I_Am_U t1_j46nm6i wrote

CNN shamelessly milking tears for ratings.

0

ttaptt t1_j4f856h wrote

This headline is so poorly written, I thought a person took her kid from her while they struggled in floodwater. "...pulled from mother's arms by floodwater" is way more accurate. Well, I hate everything about all of this.

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TurnkeyLurker t1_j4ubcvr wrote

Water moving things:

"Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control and stalling.

Six inches of swiftly moving water can also knock a person off their feet.

12 inches of water will float many cars.

Two feet of swiftly moving water will sweep away larger vehicles such as pick-up trucks and SUVs."

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notunek t1_j4wlpnc wrote

Good point. Years ago we had a big flood in my city and a woman tried to cross the flooded stream which is usually dry carry her 2-year-old. She was going to the store to get cigarettes of all things. The water knocked her over and she couldn't hold onto her son. She made it to dry land, but her son was swept away. So sad and she lost her child for nothing except not realizing the power of flowing water.

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