Heavy rain left many areas in New York City completely and suddenly flooded. A box truck and its occupants traveling through an expressway were among the victims of the merciless water, ending up stuck and in need of rescue. Thankfully, help eventually came.
The incident was captured and reported by Freedom News TV. On Saturday, July 18, as the rain continued to pour down, a box truck driver entered the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
Thinking the vehicle could push through the water, the white truck eventually came to a stop right in the middle of the expressway. With floodwater rising by the minute, two men, the driver and a passenger, exited the vehicle and climbed on top of the truck.
Trapped on the expressway, the men patiently sat down and waited for help to arrive. It came in the form of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
A Stuck Truck
The footage attached above, recorded by Freedom News TV’s Dakota Santiago, shows the moment before the motorists were rescued. During the second part of the video, multiple cars, including the box truck, can be seen stuck in the expressway.
Initially, the box truck was the only vehicle stuck in its lane. However, as the two men exited the truck and were seated on its windshield, many other vehicles, unaware of the flooding situation, began to join the extremely wet and stationary debacle
Fortunately for them, the box truck acted as a beacon of “do not drive forward.” As a result, cars were stuck on their tracks before falling victim to the unforgiving waters, and even a red cargo van attempted to pull a U-turn, to little success.
Quite an Entrance
The initial part of the clip shows waves of water on the opposite expressway lane beginning to manifest. The cavalry had finally arrived.
An FDNY fire engine pushed through the floodwater without breaking a sweat. The resulting waves were so strong that a white sedan stuck right next to it was slightly pushed backwards.
The truck eventually stopped right past the speed limit sign, where water was no longer an issue. Multiple firefighters exited the truck and began devising a strategy to help those stuck in their predicament.
Succesful Rescue
The plan was simple. Equipped with a ring buoy, a firefighter walked on top of the median barrier until he reached the wall.
Then, one by one, the men stuck on top of the box truck descended and jumped onto the median barrier. Step by step, the men would wall-hug the concrete wall and walk all the way to the firefighter.
By using the box truck’s driver’s door, both men managed to jump on top of the median barrier. Thankfully, both of them successfully walked toward safety.