Woman ‘Swept Away’ During Firefighter Rescue (Video)

A dramatic rescue unfolded at a San Antonio park Friday after a woman slipped into rushing water just as firefighters were trying to reach her with a ladder.

The 37-year-old woman was stranded along a steep concrete drainage canal at Woodlawn Lake Park when emergency crews arrived shortly after noon.

According to San Antonio Park Police, the woman had climbed over a chain-link fence and made her way down toward the canal before becoming trapped on the sloped concrete above the fast-moving water.

It remains unclear why she entered the restricted area.

A passerby spotted the woman in trouble and called 911.

Firefighters quickly positioned themselves along the canal and lowered a ladder toward her.

Video captured at the scene shows the woman clinging to the concrete as firefighters tried to get the ladder close enough for her to grab.

But just as she reached toward it, she lost her footing.

The woman suddenly slid down the concrete and plunged into the rushing water below.

The strong current immediately began carrying her downstream.

Bystander Michelle Saenz said she watched as the woman tried to grab onto the ladder before slipping away.

For several tense moments, firefighters could only watch as the current pulled the woman farther down the canal.

Fortunately, crews had already positioned firefighters downstream in case the initial rescue attempt failed.

Video shows the woman struggling through the moving water before swimming toward one of the firefighters waiting farther along the canal.

The firefighter was able to reach her, and crews pulled her safely from the water.

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:

Despite the frightening fall and being swept downstream, authorities said the woman was doing well after the rescue.

The incident came as San Antonio officials were already warning residents about dangerous weather and rising water.

Just two days earlier, the San Antonio Fire Department had urged residents to prepare for approaching storms and warned people to have emergency plans in place.

Fast-moving water in drainage canals can become especially dangerous during and after heavy rainfall, when water levels can rise rapidly and currents can become much stronger than they appear from the surface.

San Antonio has dealt with several serious flooding incidents in recent months, including previous cases in which people were swept into waterways during severe storms.

Friday’s rescue ended far differently.

Thanks to the quick response of firefighters and the crews waiting downstream, the woman was pulled to safety after what could easily have become a deadly accident.