Woman Rescued After Crashing Into Indiana Creek And Being Carried Downstream

An Indiana motorist was safely rescued Monday after she crashed down an embankment and into a fast-moving creek that carried her vehicle 400 feet downstream, officials said.

The Indianapolis Fire Department said a witness immediately called 911 after seeing a black sedan leave the road on English Avenue and tumble 20 feet down an embankment into Pleasant Run Creek at around 8 a.m. Monday. The driver, a 20-year-old woman, also called 911 to report she was in the creek and water was rising to her door.

Dispatchers asked the driver how she ended up in the creek, and she reported hitting deep water on English Avenue and hydroplaning, causing her car to spin before leaving the roadway. According to the fire department, her vehicle was carried some 400 feet downstream from the crash site.

While waiting for rescuers to arrive, the 911 dispatcher provided “clear, lifesaving instructions” to the woman, who climbed on top of her car, the fire department said. Firefighters arrived to find her atop the vehicle, and gave her a life jacket while they secured her vehicle and coordinated her rescue.

Photos shared by the fire department show Swift Water rescue technicians from IFD Stations 7 and 14 lowering ladders down the embankment and executing a shallow water crossing maneuver to reach the driver.

The woman was brought safely to shore uninjured by 8:30 a.m., the fire department said.