Body found amid search for man swept away by floodwaters in San Bernardino County
Searchers on Wednesday morning found the body of a driver who had been stranded in rushing floodwaters and then swept away with his pickup truck the rural San Bernardino County community of Devore, officials said.
The incident began at about 11 p.m. Tuesday near Keenbrook Road and Cajon Boulevard, but crews had to temporarily pause the search, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
Crews were called to rescue the man who tried to cross through a flooded road and got stuck.
A woman who was inside the pickup truck said she and another man managed to escape to safety. But her friend Edward - known to friends as "Irish" - did not make it out.
"It was scary. I got out of the driver's side window and then he got out of the driver's side window. He didn't make it across. He just sat on the top and then it started getting worse," she said.
Rescue crews attempted to reach the man using a rope, but he slipped off the truck as conditions worsened.
"We arrived on scene and we did find that individual sitting on top of the roof of the truck, and initiated rescue operations," said Fire Department Captain Eric Sherwin. "As our swiftwater team was arriving on scene, the truck shifted, the driver unfortunately fell from the roof into the moving flood waters."
While holding onto the truck, the victim made contact with first responders during their attempts to reach him before the waters swept him away downstream.
After about two hours of searching, crews had to suspend their efforts due to weather conditions, which also prevented aircraft from assisting. They resumed the search after sunrise.
The body was found about half-a-mile downstream from the truck, which was lodged in floodwaters.
A friend said he appeared to be in his late 50s and was visiting the area while living with disabilities.
Sherwin said it's not uncommon for that area to become flooded during storms.
