BROOKLYN, Ohio–Early morning floods left many drivers stranded in Brooklyn, but a panicked Anne Dolezal wasn’t prepared for what happened next.
“By the time I first hit the water, the car just proceeded,” said Dolezal. “The car actually just rolled forward. You’re foots not even on the gas. The water just took it, and it started filling up.”
Dolezal, an assistant manager of a Burger King on Snow Road, was on her way to open up the restaurant. She couldn’t see what she drove into.
She was trapped under the overpass near 130th and Brookpark Road.
“It was terrifying. It was terrifying,” she said. “I didn’t know how high that water was going to rise, and it was so fast. I thought about my autustic 19-year-old son and get ahold of him and say goodbye. I really thought I was going to die.”
After talking with emergency dispatcher, Dolezal called her friend Rick Huff for help.
“It was scary. She was so frantic,” he said. “She says I’m under the bridge, my doors won’t open, water’s coming in. She felt she was going to die.”
The current put so much pressure on the door, Dolezal knew she had to wait before the water would let up.
Once the time the water reached near her chest level, she managed to open the door and swim to safety. At this point, the water was four feet high.
Her vehicle is likely a total loss, but Dolezal said she’s counting her blessings. Also, she will reconsider her commute to work.
“Oh my God. I’m going the long way to work,” she said. “I’ll take route 71, which is a lot longer, but may be safer. I will be very careful the next time I see any kind of puddle.”