Man rescued after high water trapped him in car in Atlanta

Crews rescued a driver who became trapped in a car Friday morning due to rising water levels, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue.

Ricardo Roberson told Channel 2 Action News that he swerved to miss a tree that came down in front of him. When he did that, his Lexus ended up in about 3 feet of water at Boulder Park Drive and Dollar Mill Road in southwest Atlanta.

He called 911, and authorities freed him just before 9 a.m. It was not clear how long he was trapped in the car. He escaped without a scratch, according to the news station.

Boulder Park Drive was closed due to a partial roadway collapse, the fire department said. Video footage from the agency showed water rushing through the area.  

“Do not drive through flooded areas, standing water or fast-moving water on the roadway — especially near creeks and streams,” the fire department said. 

Parts of metro Atlanta have seen more than 4 inches of rainfall in the last 24 hours, leading to numerous flood warnings and road closures.

This year was sitting at the eighth-wettest on record for Atlanta at the beginning of the week, but the rainfall Thursday and Friday has bumped 2018 through the rankings. It is now ranked as the second-wettest year on record, and Channel 2 meteorologist Katie Walls said it could be close to the top spot by Dec. 31.

The record was set at 71.45 inches in 1948, and Atlanta was at 69.46 inches at noon Friday.

Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz expects an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain to fall later Friday.