Driver rescued from Lawrence flood feels lucky to be alive

LAWRENCE, Mass. — Danielle Rebolleto saw water under the Parker Street underpass — but not enough to challenge her Jeep — or so she thought.

“In a storm like this, where we have low areas, the water is constantly rising,” said Lawrence Fire Chief Brian Moriarty. “So that low area might have a foot of water now... in ten minutes, it might be three feet. So it rises rather quickly.”

By the time Rebolleto steered into the water, it was much higher than three feet — and the level was rising.

She was trapped.

“I was very afraid,” Rebolleto. “I was afraid for my life.”

Lieutenant Chris King was the first Lawrence firefighter on the scene. “It was up to my chest,” he said. “There was an officer that was there, he came from the other side. He was instrumental in the rescue.”

Working together, they pulled Rebolleto from the Jeep and carried her out of the now-expansive flash flood. That’s when backup arrived — only to find the job had been done.

“Without hesitation, he went in the water and rescued her,” said Lawrence Fire Captain Wayne Leduc. “We got on scene... saw he was up to his shoulders in water carrying the victim out... brought her to higher ground. Lt. King had done all the work by then.”

And King did it dressed not in a wetsuit, but his full fire gear. Something not exactly recommended — but time was of the essence here.

Also not recommended: driving into standing water.

“It only takes a few inches to actually move a vehicle,” Moriarty said. “Don’t try to go through the water.”

Elio Diaz, owner of Best Price Towing, agreed.

“If you see water like that, turn around,” Diaz said. “Sometimes it seems less than what it is and it’s actually a lot more than what it is.”

Diaz found that out when he went to tow the Jeep from the underpass. He wound up wading in up to his chin in the fetid water.

“I strive to give the best service that I can and I didn’t give up,” Diaz said. “I guess it comes natural when you love what you do.”

Rebolleto was offered medical care after the rescue but said she didn’t need it. She was grateful to the three men who rescued her — and the Jeep.

“I feel very lucky,” Rebolleto said. “I feel very lucky because I’m still alive.”

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