It’s been almost a week since the deadly floods hit central Texas, and with at least 121 dead and 173 still missing, per The Independent, the destruction has been unprecedented. While search and rescue teams continue working day and night, however, locals continue to go about their day in a bid to get back to some semblance of normalcy. Recently, a Texas driver was caught on camera attempting to cross a flooded road in Dry Comal Creek near New Braunfels. The issue is, things didn’t go entirely to plan for the driver, as the flooded road was too deep. Luckily, a guard rail stopped the vehicle from getting swept away, but the driver’s decision still made for an eye-opening cautionary tale to those watching.
The video, shared to TikTok by emily.kuehler4, is taken by a witness who has decided to not cross the deep waters, and centers on a flooded road. On one side are several vehicles, though they don’t dare drive through the flood as the current looks quite strong and it’s clearly too deep for a vehicle to cross. However, on the other side of the flood is a white vehicle, which is attempting to cross, despite clear evidence that it is likely a terrible and dangerous idea.
As the white vehicle tentatively drives into the flood, you can hear the cameraman state, “Dumbass“, which pretty much sums things up. After a few moments, the car begins to lose control as the water is too deep. The white car then drifts off to the side, but thankfully, there’s a guardrail in place to stop the car from getting swept away. Moments later, the driver realizes his mistake, and attempts to turn the car around in a bid to get out of the flood.
Suddenly, however, the car stops in the middle of the flood and seemingly gets stuck. It’s at this point where it’s likely that the driver has flooded the engine, causing a potential hydrolock, which occurs when water enters a vehicle’s cylinders and prevents the pistons from compressing.
“What an idiot,” exclaims the cameraman as he watches on. Speaking to another driver who is watching the incident unfold off screen, he declares, “Yeah, they’re idiots. That car just drove off in there and got spun around. Yeah, that white car, he just drove in there. Like right now. He’s stupid. And now he’s stuck.” before giggling to himself.
With the clip circulating online, social media users flooded the comments section with their thoughts and reactions to the video. Over on TikTok, one commenter wrote, “Great commercial for Jeep. “if we don’t cross, then why should you”” referencing the blue jeep that decided against crossing the flooded waters, even though it’s likely more equipped to do so than the white car at the heart of the video. On Reddit, meanwhile, another user remarked, “It’s even funnier cause the Jeep is the one with the New Driver Please Be Patient sticker hahahaha“. A third comment read, “Stupid people are the reason my insurance keeps going up.” while another person penned, “thank goodness for guardrail or they would going down the river and this would turn out in a tragedy !!!!!!!!“
That last comment really sums things up, as without that guardrail, this incident would’ve likely turned a dangerous situation into something even more tragic. Luckily, according to the OP, rescue services were called by one of the onlookers, so no one was injured.
As another commenter so succinctly puts it, “a general reminder to us all while we’re here: A mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars and just 2 feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks. It is NEVER safe to drive or walk into flood waters.”
