NORWOOD, MASS. (WHDH) - A local man shared his story Wednesday, hours after floodwaters consumed his car in Norwood.
Elton Lopes, 35, of Dorchester said he was driving on Upland Road early Wednesday morning when the water started rising. With his window already lowered, he said he managed to climb onto the hood of his car and into the cold water before emergency crews were able to get him to safety.
“I jumped into the water and…then I was handed one of the trees that was there,” he said.
Norwood Police Chief William Brooks said officers were already on their way toward the flooded portion of Upland Road when they saw Lopes’ car.
Brooks said officers shouted to Lopes, telling him he needed to get out of the car.
“He’s telling the officer, ‘I can’t swim’ and they are saying ‘You have to trust us. You have to come this way,’” Brooks said.
Brooks said Lopes’ car was “half floating but, at the same time, taking on water.”
“You couldn’t even see it,” said witness Nancy Robles.
Eventually, Brooks said, crews were able to pull Lopes to shore.
Lopes was checked out at a hospital after his rescue and spent the afternoon Wednesday sleeping and recovering from his ordeal.
Speaking with 7NEWS, he thanked police officers and firefighters who rushed to his aid.
“They did a really good job,” he said. “They deserve a medal or something. They did a very good job.”
Other reports of flooding and damage poured in across New England after stormy weather swept through the region Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Among issues, water surged through part of Hampton, New Hampshire, prompting warnings from public officials.
A mobile home in Shrewsbury was rendered a total loss after officials said snow and new rainfall caused its roof to collapse.
Flooding was also reported in communities including Everett, Plum Island, Malden and Boston.
Back in Norwood, Brooks shared a message for drivers regarding flooded roadways.
“What looks, in front of you, like a flat surface is sometimes not,” he said. “And sometimes you have no idea just how deep it is.”
Brooks said he believes the water in this incident was at least five to seven feet deep at the height of Wednesday’s flooding.
Though he said cones were put out on Upland Road to warn drivers as conditions deteriorated, he said they were washed away almost immediately.
Upland Road, which Brooks said is technically a state road, had reopened to traffic as of Wednesday night.
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