Atlanta meteorologist pulls woman out of flooded car in the dark, carries her on his back

Caption

FOX Weather meteorologists Bob Van Dilsen rescued a woman trapped in her car on a flooded road early on Friday, September 27, 2024.

Credit: Courtesy of FOX

Early Friday morning, longtime Atlanta-based meteorologist Bob Van Dillen was reporting live for FOX Weather when he heard screams coming from a car submerged in the flooded Atlanta Street near Peachtree Creek.

Van Dillen called out to her and said he called 911 and for her to hold on.

Quickly realizing that she was frantic inside the car and that EMS could take too long, he jumped into action.

When he got the car, the woman was still buckled in and the door was forced closed with the water. The reporter was able to get her to lower the window, quickly releasing her from the seatbelt and open the door.

The 6-foot-1 weatherman was able to carry the 5-foot-tall woman on his back to safety.  

Her husband, with whom she had been on the phone, was racing to the scene and was reunited with his wife, thanking Van Dillen for saving his wife.

The woman said she was going to her job and turned onto the dark street and before she knew it she was in rapidly rising flood waters. 

Orlando Montoya interviewed the weatherman on GPB News.

Transcript:

Orlando Montoya: Bob, tell us how this all unfolded.

Bob Van Dillen: Well, it was, dark. It was really early in the morning. It was the first or second hit that we were doing in the morning. It was about, 5:45 a.m. around there, and my photographer and I were the only ones on the scene. It was right there by the Bobby Jones golf course, a little farther down with this neighborhood that we were trying to film where the Peachtree Creek had come out of its banks because there was all these high-water rescues just before. So, we were setting up our shot, and all of a sudden, we heard some screaming and we're, like, we turn around and we're like, "Oh my God, there's a woman in that car" that just drove into the floods and the floodwater's going up the side of her car. Soon as I heard that. I said, "all right, just hold on." I pulled out my other phone and I dialed 911. Meanwhile, I was looking at the water at the car and it wasn't coming up too quickly, but it started getting up there and the lady was panicking even more so I just said, "You know, forget this." And I threw the microphone down on the, on the seat and took my wallet out of the back of my pants and the phone out of my pants. I waded in there and got to the car, and she had the car window rolled down about 2 inches or so yelling for help. So, I walked over there, and I said, "okay, well, I got you, I got you. You'll be okay." And I tried opening the door, but the water pressure wasn't allowing me to open the door. So, I said, "okay, can you please roll the window down?" So the window was able to be rolled down, and as soon as it did, it equalized the water pressure, and I was able to open up the door, but I had to really jam it with my hand. And she has these two bags. She gives me her two bags, hands me her phone and I go "Get out of the water and just climb on my back" and she does. She climbs on my back, hanging on, and she was short. She wasn't tall. Put her down and she was fine and shivering. I could tell she was going into shock. She really wasn't saying much, though. I didn't have a blanket or anything, so I just had to give her one of my spare shirts.

Orlando Montoya: And this all happened while you were on TV?

Bob Van Dillen: Yeah. I didn't even realize it, honestly. I knew I was on, I wasn't sure, I kind of clicked in and just saw this lady needed help. And I was like, "you know what my job is just a job. Not a big deal. Just go out and get her." And it worked.

Orlando Montoya: And you must be aware that you, you know, have taught people a lesson now.

Bob Van Dillen: Yeah, I hope so. That's the main thing, right? It wasn't really her fault that much, because where she came in, there was no streetlight. The water was up, and, she was coming home working overnight shift at a bakery, a local bakery. And I guess she just didn't see the water because it kind of blended in with the road at that point. But to your point, it's something, you would — if you can stay home when there's an active hurricane or tropical storm warning in your neighborhood, you want to do it. But I understand if you have to get a job, you have to get a job. This was just bad circumstances for this poor lady.

Orlando Montoya: And that was Bob Van Dillen of Fox Weather. Thanks for joining me today.

Bob Van Dillen: You got it. I appreciate your time.