Man dies after being pulled from Arlington floodwaters; multiple people rescued
Arlington fire and rescue crews were searching Friday night for motorists swept away in floodwaters near the 7000 block of Webb Ferrell Road and other parts of southeast Arlington, police and firefighters said.
One man was pronounce dead at a hospital after being pulled from the floodwaters, according to the Arlington Fire Department.
According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, 22-year-old Saneil Antonio Singh died at a Mansfield hospital around 10 p.m. after being rescued by first responders in the area. His death has been ruled an accidental drowning.
Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported the young man sent his location to his family and told them his car was filling up with water and he was stuck at a flooded crossing over a creek. The high water swept his car off the bridge.
The Arlington Fire Department said in an emailed statement that it responded to 21 flooding/rescue calls on the city’s southeast side, with a reported 4 to 6 inches of rain in the area. “Firefighters in rescue boats, firefighters with throw ropes, and firefighters in the water, actively worked to rescue those swept into the areas (including multiple occupied/unoccupied vehicles) covered by rain and water,” the department said. “Arlington firefighters rescued multiple individuals from flood waters. One drowning victim was recovered from a vehicle. Arlington Fire Department personnel attempted to revive the victim on scene and en route to the hospital.”
More than 5 inches of rain was measured near the site where Singh drowned, according to the National Weather Service.
Flash flooding was ongoing in Tarrant County until about 9:15 p.m. Friday, with a warning issued by the weather service. When the warning was issued about 7 p.m., two to three inches of rain had fallen since the downpour started around 6:30 p.m. Friday, with another up to two inches expected before the storms passed, according the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
Fire department crews in Arlington, Fort Worth and other North Texas communities responded to several calls for high water rescue Friday.
Oncor crews were also asked by the Arlington Fire Department to respond to electrical emergencies, including one around 9:30 p.m. in which crews reported a tree on fire because of a power line.
Also around 9:30 p.m., Arlington fire crews said over scanners that they were trying to get to cars floating by in floodwaters, but that water levels had subsided enough that boats could no longer be used for rescue.
At one point, fire crews requested drone support to search flood streams for victims. Arlington police, after weather allowed, began using drones to search floodwaters with fire crews for people in need of rescue.
Fire department crews and dispatchers called for assistance from Grand Prairie fire crews and later called them off, saying in scanner traffic that they had situations under control.
In several instances, fire crews reported back successful rescues. In many cases, they used ropes and vests to get floodwater victims to safety.
The fire department had personnel stationed at multiple points along streams to throw ropes out to victims if they did not get picked up at the initial point of attempted rescue, according to scanner traffic.
Earlier, fire and rescue crews and Arlington police responded to calls about flooding in the area of The Commons at Park Springs apartments. The fire department had electricity to the apartment complex shut off.
Arlington police responded regularly to flood rescue calls to block off roads and prevent more people from driving into hazardous, flooded areas, a police spokesman said.
Three vehicles were stalled in high water in the area near the apartments, but police said there were no injuries and nobody was trapped. A wrecker was called to the scene to remove the vehicles and water appeared to be receding.
Arlington fire and rescue crews had to split their resources between water rescues and other emergencies like fire, medical and major accident calls, according to scanner traffic.
Heavy rain in Tarrant County on Friday caused flooding in rivers, creeks, roads, urban areas, highway overpasses, underpasses and other areas that are low lying or have poor drainage, according to the National Weather Service.
Flash flooding can create dangers of drowning and of cars being swept away by floodwaters. An inch of moving water is enough to move some vehicles.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 9:01 PM.