CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Clinton Township police rescued an 82-year-old woman who became trapped in her vehicle over the weekend when floodwaters swept her car away.
In a Facebook post, the Clinton Township Police Department says that the car was swept away by floodwaters covering Millar Road. The woman's vehicle was sinking when officers arrived on the scene, police said in the post.
Three officers swam to her car and pulled the driver, 82-year-old Joy Alexander, to safety before it became completely submerged.
"I was swallowing water when they got there," Alexander said. "The police told my son-in-law that I had no more than a minute."
Alexander says she didn't see the flooding on the road before driving through them.
"The puddle of water picked the car up, and it was like I was in an uncontrolled boat," she said.
Alexander said she started frantically waving and calling for help. She said she started swallowing water and glanced out the window and saw the emergency lights.
Soon after, she was being carried out of the water by an officer.
"It was like I had the arms of God around me," she said.
Alexander added that she is eternally grateful to her rescuers.
Police warn community members to never drive over standing water on the road.
"The depth and current of the water is not always apparent," the department's Facebook post reads. "A vehicle can be swept away in as little as 6" of water," the post said.
This story was originally published by Scripps station WXYZ in Detroit.
