A man was rescued after climbing onto his truck when floodwater swept the vehicle away in Tonopah, Arizona. Rescue teams used a helicopter to bring him to safety. In the early hours of September 29, a rescue helicopter and aviation unit from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a man sitting on the roof of his vehicle in a wash at 327th Avenue, authorities told PEOPLE.
Videos shared on social media by the sheriff’s office showed the man sitting on his overturned truck as fast-moving water surrounded the vehicle.
Rescue teams decided that a hoist rescue would be the safest option. A helicopter lowered a rescue specialist onto the truck. The specialist then secured the man to a rescue device, and he was taken to a nearby riverbank.
Rich Dickner, the pilot involved in the rescue, told CBS News that the man was on top of the truck after it flipped onto its side and was straddling the vehicle. He said the team did not waste much time.
Dickner also said the water level had risen from below the truck window to the top of the window, creating an urgent situation.
The Arizona Fire & Medical Authority told PEOPLE that the man was approximately 30 feet from the shoreline.
Dickner said that similar situations have happened in the same places during his time there. He added that the man may have crossed that road many times before the incident happened.
