Arizona sheriff's helicopter crew rescues man stranded atop overturned truck in rapidly rising floodwaters, tell me about this news in (https://www.foxnews.com/us/arizona-sheriffs-helicopter-crew-rescues-man-stranded-atop-overturned-truck-rapidly-rising-floodwaters)

01-10-2026

According to the Fox News report, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office aviation crew carried out a dramatic helicopter hoist rescue in Tonopah, Arizona, after a man became stranded on top of his overturned truck in fast-moving floodwaters.

Here are the key details of the incident:

  • The Incident: Deputies responded on a Tuesday morning to a flooded wash in Tonopah, where muddy floodwaters were swiftly rushing around an overturned vehicle. A man had climbed onto the top of the truck to avoid the water.

  • Rapidly Rising Waters: Pilot Rich Dickner noted that floodwaters were rising quickly. When the crew arrived, the water line was below the windows, but it rose to the top of the windows in a short span of time, creating severe urgency.

  • The Rescue: Because approaching through the swift current on the ground was too dangerous, the Fox 1 aviation crew opted for a hoist rescue. Deputy Lindsey Smith was lowered roughly 80 feet from the helicopter down to the overturned truck. After securing her footing and placing the stranded driver into a harness, both were hoisted up and safely transported to the riverbank, where fire personnel were waiting.

  • Speed: The entire hoist operation took less than five minutes.

  • Weather Context: The dangerous flash flooding in the area was caused by heavy rainfall linked to the remnants of Hurricane Polo impacting the Desert Southwest. Officials used the incident to remind motorists never to attempt driving through flooded roads and to heed the warning: “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”



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