Flood waters rose quickly on California Crossing Road on the Irving-Dallas border early Sunday, stranding two men who tried to cross the road in their SUV.
"All of a sudden we went from four inches of water to four and a half feet of water," said flood victim Wade Carson.
Carson said after their SUV stalled his first thought was to call his mother.
"Wade tried to tell me where he was, but I was like, 'I think you need to call 911 because I can’t get you out of the water'," said Carson’s mother, Judy Jones.
When the water started pushing the truck off the road both men got out to try to find higher ground.
"We went totally under water," said Carson. "It was very traumatic. We were fighting the current. We thought we were tough. We were no match for that."
Carson said they were in the water for 42 minutes until help arrived. He said the current was so strong it pulled his shoes off.
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Both men thought they were going to die.
"We actually held on to five roots of trees that were under water," said Carson. "Some of them pulled out. He actually grabbed my arms and I grabbed his feet. We were a team. We stuck together like you have never seen people stuck together. It was two people at survival mode at its best."
Rescue crews said a motorist saw the men go under and called 911. They used two boats to go save the men.
"I am so grateful to the team that pulled us out of the water," said Carson. "They saved our lives today and it’s a very wonderful thing."
California Crossing Road is now closed to all traffic.
