Authorities say a helicopter was able to free a woman whose vehicle had become trapped by rising floodwaters in New River Wash.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says two people inside a vehicle were trapped by water near Table Mesa Road about three miles east of Interstate 17 in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Deputies responded to find one of the two people trapped had managed to make it safely to land. The other person, a woman, was standing on top of her nearly fully submerged vehicle, according to Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez.
The MCSO helicopter arrived and dropped a life jacket to the stranded motorist. She then held onto the helicopter's skid as it flew her to safety.
Video of the rescue was shared on the Daisy Mountain Fire Department's Twitter account later Saturday.
WATCH @dmfdpio @PeoriaFire @PHXFire @MaricopaSherriff work seamlessly to rescue all victims. No injuries reported. #TurnAroundDontDrown pic.twitter.com/K6CrE7a9SE
— Daisy Mountain Fire (@dmfdpio) January 21, 2017
The woman was evaluated by firefighters on the scene and was not taken to the hospital.
There was no immediate word on whether either of the people involved would face charges under the state's "stupid motorist law," which can be used to force those who knowingly enter flooded streets to pay for the cost of their rescue.
