‘I Was Saying My Goodbyes’: Alabama Man Survives Being Sucked 500 Feet Through Drainage Pipe

A man in Trussville, Alabama, said he survived after being swept 500 feet through a flooded drainage pipe during severe storms Friday night, according to WVTM13.

Drew Owen told WVTM13 the incident happened as his yard began to flood and his children’s soccer balls floated toward U.S. Highway 11. Owen said he ran after them and was pulled underwater near a drainage ditch. (RELATED: Fox Weatherman Saves Woman From Floodwaters On Live TV, Continues Doing His Job)

“It was right here,” Owen told WVTM13, pointing to the ditch. “That’s where I think I went down. And then I went to come back up. And that’s when the pipes sucked me under.”

Man survives being sucked 500-feet through flooded drainage pipe: ‘I could not breathe’ https://t.co/3qP3efcIfw

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Owen described the experience as disorienting and said he was unable to breathe or react before being pulled in. He estimated he was underwater for 30 to 45 seconds as water rushed through the pipe. He was carried under Highway 11 and nearby railroad tracks.

“I honestly was saying my goodbyes,” he told the outlet. “I didn’t know if the pipe was going all the way down Highway 11, or if it was going to drop two minutes from now.”

Owen suffered minor injuries including scrapes and cuts. He also lost his shoes and shirt during the ordeal but was otherwise unharmed.

Owen and his wife, Kasey, are now advocating for safety measures, such as grates over drainage pipes.

“We just want this to be a safer area,” Kasey Owen said.

Trussville’s mayor said the pipe was installed by the state and some of the area is on private property, according to WVTM13. The city’s public works department is investigating flood prevention and pipe safety improvements.