A woman was found dead Monday afternoon after her vehicle was swept into a flooded creek during heavy rains in eastern Bandera County, according to the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office.
Searchers found the vehicle about 4:30 p.m. submerged several miles downstream from where it entered the water near the 1500 block of Lower Mason Creek Road, deputies said.
The victim’s identity has not been released.
She was found inside the vehicle and apparently succumbed to injuries suffered during the incident, Sheriff Josh Teitge said.
Authorities said the tragedy began about 5:30 a.m. when the woman called 911 and reported fast-moving floodwaters swept her auto into the creek.
The caller told dispatchers her auto was floating downstream at a high rate of speed and she couldn’t get out.
911 operators stayed on the line with the motorist for several minutes before the call was disconnected, likely because water entered the vehicle, deputies said.
Before losing contact, dispatchers were able to determine the caller’s location through a cellphone ping, providing responders with her last known location, according to investigators.
Hours before the discovery of the vehicle, Teitge told News 4 San Antonio emergency crews engaged in an extensive search along the waterway.
“I have multiple local and state agencies searching the river through the potential route of float for the vehicle itself,” Teitge said.
Search crews had found debris believed to be from the vehicle, including part of a rear bumper and pieces of sheet metal, Teitge said.
The Sheriff’s Office, local fire and rescue personnel, swift-water rescue teams, a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter and drone operators searched during the day.
Teitge also thanked the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department and dozens of local volunteers who helped in the search.
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