A man died early Tuesday after his vehicle entered floodwaters and sank in Snohomish County, Washington.
Firefighters were called to Marsh Road, southwest of Snohomish, at around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. A diver later recovered the man’s body from the submerged vehicle.
Emergency crews attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, King 5 reported.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the driver as Romualdo Cruz Cruz, 33, of Everett. His death was ruled an accident, with drowning listed as the cause. Fox 13 reported that Cruz Cruz drove past road-closure signs and onto the flooded roadway before the car went into a ditch filled with roughly six feet of water.
Lt. Benjamin Bloomquist of Snohomish Regional Fire Rescue — the diver who recovered the body — told King 5 that drivers often underestimate how quickly floodwaters can become dangerous.
“I think people are confident that they can get through or they think it’s more shallow than it is. Then they realize too late that it’s too deep,” Bloomquist said.
“People keep making decisions to drive through the waters. Mistakes happen. Water becomes really deep really fast,” he added.
King 5 also reported that the driver was on the phone with his wife at the time, and that she called 911. The outlet noted that state and national officials have promoted “Turn Around Don’t Drown” safety messaging for more than two decades, urging motorists to avoid flooded roads.
“Going into this storm system, we were thinking there has been a lot of messaging and warning. We were hoping that would be enough to keep people out of these waters when they have a choice,” Bloomquist told King 5.
Flooding has affected multiple parts of Washington in recent days. On Tuesday, officials ordered precautionary evacuations for about 1,300 residents in Pacific, Washington, following a levee breach along the White River, according to CNN.
