::: COMMUNITY NEWS

Murietan rescued after car is stranded in rising waters

Published Wednesday, February 28, 2007

A Rancho Murieta woman was rescued Monday evening after her car stalled out on a flooded bridge on Kiefer Boulevard.

According to a spokesman for Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, the woman's car was stranded in two or three feet of swift-moving water on the narrow bridge over Deer Creek.

The country road has become a popular shortcut between Highway 16 and Grantline Road since a gravel section of roadway was paved two years ago.

Capt. Jeff Lynch said 20 emergency personnel from Sac Metro arrived on the scene after the 58-year-old woman, who was not identified, used her cell phone to call 911 for help at about 8 p.m.

"She waved out of the car at us," Lynch said. "She was getting pretty worried because there was water coming up through the floor boards and getting her feet wet."

The water wasn't deep enough to use a fire department boat equipped with a motor for the rescue.

Instead, three firefighters clad in dry suits and life jackets faced each other and grabbed shoulders to form a triangle and make their way though the water together. The "tripod maneuver" provides rescuers with six points of contact with the ground to triple their stability in rushing water, Lynch said. "It really makes it a lot safer."

As a sheriff's helicopter hovered overhead to illuminate the dark road, the triangle of rescuers waded through the water to reach the woman in the car. "They put a life jacket on her and walked her out using the same maneuver," said Lynch.

After being checked by a medic for signs of hypothermia and displaying none, the woman declined further medical attention and was escorted to her home by Rancho Murieta Station 59 personnel.

The car stayed behind on the flooded bridge. "It's one thing to risk your life to save a person, but it's not worth it for a car," Lynch said, adding that the CHP remained at the scene until county transportation workers arrived to close the road.