STAR Flight crew reminds Texans to avoid rushing water

A STAR Flight crew rescued two men from flood waters in Lampasas County Monday.
In Adamsville, just north of Lampasas, storm waters raged around a truck as the two men huddled in the bed. The water moved too fast for firefighters to make the rescue, so STAR Flight took over.

The crew demonstrated the rescue they used, known as a hoist extrication from solid ground, Tuesday.
The Rescue
“We use the hoist, which is a device attached to the side of the aircraft — it’s got approximately 280 feet of cable on it, and it allows us in an area, in which we just can’t land, to lower a rescuer down and extricate victims from whatever situation they’re in,” Stephan Maier, who worked on the rescue for STAR Flight, said.

While Monday’s rescue was successful, the STAR Flight crew said it doesn’t always turn out that way.

“If people would just remember the power of rushing water, that they can’t make it through, and it’s not worth trying,” Maier said. “It’s not worth losing your vehicle, your life, or anything else, your family or loved one’s lives over trying to get across a road.”

STAR Flight isn’t able to respond to every rescue request. If the weather’s not safe, the crew can’t take off from the ground.
By Jenna Hiller, News 8, Austin