Man Rescued from Bayou

Investigators say a tow truck slid off the road in southwest Houston and ended up in a bayou. Rescue crews saved the driver around 9pm at the Southwest Freeway and Sam Houston Parkway. Firefighters tell us they got a call that there was a man on top of his vehicle, but it took them some time to spot him. Eventually they found him in the bayou, on top of the truck, in several feet of water. Firefighters used a truck and an inflatable boat in order to reach the man.

Officials believe that driver skidded off the road, hit a pole and flipped around backwards, losing control of the vehicle before entering the water.

“We were concerned about the water rising and the fact that he was having trouble staying on the vehicle,” said HFD Sr. Capt. Curt Williams. “That’s why there are a lot of extra people. In case he did go into the water, we were prepared for him to go downstream.”

Firefighters say the tow truck driver had mild hypothermia and was transported to an area hospital. They believe weather and speed may have contributed to this accident.
By Christine Dobbyn at KTRK News, Houston