JAMESTOWN, N.C. — Two tow truck drivers, one of them a retired firefighter, say they were in the "right place at the right time" when they rescued a man trapped on top of his car in floodwaters early Saturday morning.
Triad residents Danny Ward and Phillip Alston were driving back to their tow truck shop in the darkness of night when they suddenly encountered the emergency situation.
Two men driving separate cars became trapped in floodwaters at the bottom of a hill on Riverdale Drive in Jamestown,according to Ian Good, shift commander with Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department.
"We saw red lights in the distance," said Alston, one of the tow truck drivers. "We then saw the vehicle submerged underwater. A gentleman was down on all fours, just waving for help."
The loud, rushing floodwaters made it difficult to hear the man yelling from the car roof, but the pair said it was clear he was in life-threatening danger.
Alston and Ward jumped into action. Alston had previously worked as a firefighter in Brunswick County with swift water rescue certifications and other training.