What started out to be a ‘dad thing’ turned into a life or death event for Drew Owen of Trussville, Alabama. Our complete podcast - click
Drew went to retrieve his son's soccer balls that had been washed away by heavy rain and flooding in his neighborhood. It was dark and the ground was soggy. And the drainage ditch under the balls was flooded.
“Well, my kids, they're big soccer players and we had some soccer balls out there. Well, they started to float away and they were floating onto Highway 11, which is a busy highway in Trussville. Well, I went to grab 'em and the kids were crying, so I was like, I don't want them to be upset.
So, I'm going to go get those balls. Well, the water was about to my ankles, so I'm like, this will be quick, just five balls. I'm going to go grab 'em real quick. Well, I get four and then I go to where my neighbor's yard is to this side area. And there was one more ball over there. Well, the water was so flooded that you could not see what was under you. I'm just thinking I'm on flat ground. Well, I go to go where the ball is and I step, well, that's where that ditch was. So, I stumbled into that ditch and it was about probably a little over my belly button height-wise the water was. So, I go to step, step over to get out of the ditch. And when I did that, that drainage pipe sucked me underneath the water.”
"It wasn't real cold. It was definitely, I felt like I was taking a cold bath, but I think it startled me so much that and literally as soon as I went in, I turned and it sucked me under. Honestly, like I was a twig or a small branch. I'm a big guy. I'm 6’ 2,” 235-pounds and there was no way for me to not go into that pipe. It was one of the most, the scariest moments of my life. It was very traumatic!
So, how long were you in this pipe, do you think?
“So, the pipe ran about, from my estimation, it was about a hundred yards - about a football field. And I think I was under probably underwater anywhere from 30 to 45 seconds. And I was saying that it was raining so hard that pipe was nothing but water. So, I couldn't breathe. And when that pipe pulled me down, I didn't have any time to gasp for air. It just immediately pulled me down and I was underwater. So, it was probably 45 seconds, but it felt like a lifetime.”
If you remember properly, what was going through your head? What was going through your mind at the time?
“So, really two things. First off, that my wife wasn't going to have her husband anymore and my kids weren't going to have their father. And then secondly, that I was literally going to die the day before my dad's funeral. So, it was, like I said, it's been very traumatic, just how the timing of both events happened.”
Did you sort of say a silent prayer at the same time?
“Oh yeah. I prayed that God would somehow get me out of this situation and I also prayed that if he didn't that it was okay, but just please just take care of my family.”
When Drew shot out of the pipe, “there was a branch to my left, very small branch, and like I said, I weigh 235 pounds. So, this little branch should not have held me, but I reached out and grabbed it and I was able to pull myself up from that branch. What I really think why that branch did not break is first off God, and then second my dad and my dad's my guardian angel during that event, and I was able to pull myself out of the creek. And then it took me about 10-to-15 minutes to walk home. And when I got home, my kids were crying, my wife was crying and they were all screaming and I was all soaking wet bleeding and it was quite an event.”
And Drew reminds us, “Thank you so much for your time and hope your audience hearing this will bring awareness to whenever there's any kind of flowing water or anything like that, just it's not even worth going out there to even see what's going on. And just know that I told somebody, I don't know how you don't believe in God when you hear my story, because there was definitely, God had his hand in keeping me safe.”
There’s much more to this story. We invite you to hear our complete podcast interview, just below:
