NORFOLK, Va. — A person seen helping pull a driver out from their partially-submerged SUV on Tuesday spoke to News 3 on Wednesday.
In video taken by News 3, an SUV stuck in flooded waters was spotted beneath an underpass on Colley Avenue around 4 p.m. Multiple bystanders, including Korbin Thompson, were seen helping pull the driver out from the submerged vehicle.
Thompson was trying to meet up with her daughter, who'd just left cheerleading practice. She was checking on another submerged vehicle on Colley, when she says she saw another drive into several feet of water.
"I couldn't believe what was happening. So I just quickly went into action. I had to fuss a little bit because that's just who I am," Thompson told News 3. "I'm like: 'what are you doing?' Okay, get your window down and just kind of help coach her through it so she can get out safely."
Watch: Driver seen rescued from submerged SUV amid heavy flooding in Norfolk
Thompson said the driver had two options to exit their vehicle: either get out on the driver’s side and climb over the hood, or crawl through the passenger-side door. The driver chose the latter, but as they did, the vehicle began to float away.
"So I just kind of hold myself to the rail and just stretch the leg out," Thompson recalled, adding that she almost fell into the waters during this maneuver.
The driver was then pulled out of the vehicle with Thompson's assistance. Thompson, a behavioral specialist, told News 3 that her motto, "be kind," was what prompted her to lend a helping hand.
“I’ve been in several crisis situations in my field so I’m pretty quick as far as my critical thinking skills are concerned," Thompson said. "It pays to be kind, you never know."
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood warning to include parts of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk on Tuesday. The NWS had previously described the incoming weather as "dangerous and life-threatening."
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