An Alabama man is lucky to be alive after being sucked into a storm drain. He was dragged more than 500 feet through the sewer. His ordeal happened on Jun 27.
According to WVTM 13, Drew Owen ended up getting sucked into a storm drain after chasing after his children's soccer balls. The yard was flooded due to a storm in Trussville, Alabama. Unfortunately, he got sucked into a storm drain after getting too close to the area.
"Of course, I could not see anything; it was dark, and this was nothing but water. But the ball was somewhere in this area. So, I went to step to go get it, and when I did, this ditch is steep and I stumbled into the water," he said. The Alabama man was sucked into the drain and plunged down the drain pipe into darkness. "I got sucked down the drain pipe. I'm 6'2", 235 lbs and it sucked me up like a twig."
Alabama Man Sucked Into Storm Drain
He was underwater for 30 to 45 seconds. He thought he was drowning.
"The water was flowing so hard, and that whole pipe was nothing but water," he told WVTM 13. "So I could not breathe or anything. And I didn't have time to get, like, gasp for air when it happened, because it happened so fast."
The Alabama man had traveled more than 500 feet and traveled under a highway. He managed to free himself thanks to a tree branch.
"Honestly, all I could think about is not seeing my wife and kids anymore," he told the outlet. "I honestly was saying my goodbyes."
Now that he survived his ordeal, he's urging others to be safe at storm drains.
"My biggest thing I want to make people aware of is to always be careful with water that's flowing real hard. I have three young kids, and if they had went to go get the soccer balls instead of me, they probably would have drowned," he said.
His wife is also very thankful for his survival. She said, "Honestly it's not lost on us that Drew is a miracle. Most people don't live to tell these stories, most of the time you hear about them when it's too late. We're just so thankful I have my husband and my kids have their dad."
