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Woman calls her family to say goodbye as flood sweeps her away, until a hero appears
A woman from Blairs, Virginia, nearly lost her life when she was driving to work in the middle of a flood. After falling to the water, she was convinced it was her end, so she called her family to say goodbye. But then a complete stranger came to her rescue.
Kim Drawdy was driving along Goodyear Blvd in Danville on Thursday when her car hit a wall of water near a bridge. She knew she had little time to get out before her car was overflown entirely with water. The woman was able to get out of the car just in time before it nosedived into the water.
Drawdy tried to keep afloat for over 20 minutes, fighting against the current, debris and exhaustion. Before getting out of the car, she had thrown her phone in her bra, so, using voice recognition she tried to call for help but it was useless. Knowing that she wouldn’t make it, Kim called her husband and kids to say goodbye.
Kim Drawdy of Blairs was driving on Goodyear Boulevard in Danville on Thursday when her car was swept into more then 30 feet of flood water @ABC13News pic.twitter.com/ElkTcV15RE
— Hannah McComsey (@HannahMcComsey) October 16, 2018
That’s when she saw car lights and, tried to stay afloat, screamed for help. Then, a young man by the name of Billy Wilson came to her aid.
THE RESCUE
He jumped in the water putting his own life at risk to get to Drawdy. "I'm here, I got you, but you’re going to have to try and swim to me," Kim recalls the man telling her. After several attempts to get closer, Billy was able to take her hand and pull her out of the water.
“I fell into his arms and started bawling like a baby because he just saved my life," Drawdy told ABC 13.
Drawdy sent me these pictures of her car. They were taken days after the incident. She says she is still alive today because a good Samaritan, who was a complete stranger, arrived in time to pull her out of the flood water. pic.twitter.com/hGpP4hku4S
— Hannah McComsey (@HannahMcComsey) October 16, 2018
However, while she was struggling in the water, Drawdy had heard another woman screaming for help on the other side of the bridge.
THE ONE WHO DIDN'T MAKE IT
After rescuing her, Billy tried to get to the other woman too, but it was impossible. Both Drawdy and Wilson saw how the water consumed Jennifer Mitchell, who unfortunately didn’t make it alive.
"He dropped to his knees and was heartbroken because he was not able to get to her," Drawdy revealed.
This is Jennifer Mitchell. Sadly, she lost her life on Thursday after she was trapped in her car by flash floods in Danville brought on by Hurricane Michael (Photo: Debbie Thompson) @ABC13News pic.twitter.com/TA3I25kXsT
— Kyle Wilcox (@KyleNews3LV) October 13, 2018
The woman set up a GoFundMe page to try and help her savior with some money after she found out he has a daughter and is taking care of her alone.
THE REENCOUNTER
Billy and Kim met again almost a week after the incident, and they were ecstatic to see the other was doing good.
“Its just something I knew that had to be done I couldn't just see someone out there and not do anything, I'm not that type of person,” Wilson said of his heroic act. He also believes that what he did doesn’t need recognition; he was just in the right place at the right time.
I spoke with a woman who was swept away by flood water in Danville. She didn't think she would make it out alive - she even called her family to say a final goodbye. But a stranger arrived just in time to rescue her! Check out this story only on @ABC13News: pic.twitter.com/e292dl7Of2
— Hannah McComsey (@HannahMcComsey) October 16, 2018
After hugging it out with her savior, Drawdy admitted she would never forget his face.
"I definitely remember exactly what he looks like. I don't think I could ever forget his face," said Drawdy. And Wilson added, “I'm just glad I was there."
ANOTHER HEROIC ACT
Meanwhile, on Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, a man became a hero after saving a 7-year-old boy from a free fall of a tenth floor.
A video captured from the other side of the department complex shows how 28-year-old neighbor Artem Yarev grabbed the boy last minute as he fell from his window in the floor above.
Его поймал 28-летний Артём Карев. Красавчик! pic.twitter.com/6QYsJJMLQ2
— Актуальная Россия (@RussiaActually) September 25, 2018
"I went out on the balcony, heard screams in the street, people ran. I opened the window, looked out… looked up and saw that there was a child hanging there. He fell down, fell already, and I caught him," Yarev told Kazakh news agency Tengri News.
The boy didn't have any injuries, and he explained that he was home alone and got bored so he decided to climb out of the window, but he didn't realize the danger.
