Vanessa Brown

Firefighter Relives Dramatic Water Rescue That Saved Johnson County Mom

Jackie Anderson got stuck in high water around 8 a.m. Monday morning

A Johnson County woman is safe at home after a dramatic rescue Monday morning. She was stuck on the roof of her car, surrounded by rising floodwaters. It happened on County Road 1224, south of Farm-to-Market Road 1434, about 15 minutes southwest of Cleburne.

First responders said the area is prone to flooding. Firefighter-engineer, Corey Bauman, who carried her out of the water, said he's performed 10 swift water rescues and he's just glad this one had a happy ending.

"Water pushed her up into some trees, she was on top of her car waiting on us," Bauman said.

Jackie Anderson was on her way to work in Johnson County around 8 a.m., when she underestimated the strength of a fast-moving current. Anderson said a vehicle just ahead of her drove through it and she thought she could too.

Bauman, also a swift water tech with the Cleburne Fire Department, helped with her rescue. With rain still falling and the water quickly rising, he said the game plan was tough.

"One of the other swift water techs and myself, we decided that we were going to swim across and get out to her, get her life vest and then figure out how we were going to move her back from there," he said.

Unable to secure a line, or tether a boat, Bauman went in and carried Anderson to safety.

"We slid her off the car. I just told her to go ahead and get on my back, just wrap her arms around me and I was going to get us out," Bauman said.

The whole time, Anderson was thankful her little boy wasn't in the car.

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"She talked to us that she was glad that she didn't have her son with her. She's got a 2-year-old that she was worried about," Bauman said.

Anderson shared pictures with us. They survived too because her rescuers made sure to keep her purse and phone dry. Those were about the only things not submerged in frigid water.

"It was freezing, yes ma'am. We were all cold, especially when we got out and were standing around. That was the biggest fear for her on my aspect was that she was just continuing to be cold," Bauman said.

The firefighter, a father himself, is thankful this ended well.

"We've seen cars do lots of things and luckily she got pinned up and got where she could get out. There's lots of times where people don't make it out," he said.

As for Anderson, she's incredibly grateful to the many kind strangers who made that happen.

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