Flash floods can be terrifying, especially when they strike unexpectedly during a heavy downpour. Roads that seem safe one moment can turn into dangerous traps the next, leaving drivers with little time to react. For one father in England, a sudden flood turned into a life-or-death situation when his car, with his 11-month-old son inside, started sinking.
Andre Randles was on his way home with his baby, Luca, when road closures forced him to take an alternate route. Unfortunately, that route led him straight into deep floodwaters, with no warning and no way to turn back. What seemed like just another puddle quickly became a dangerous trap when the car hit a hidden dip and began sinking rapidly.
Randles, who does not know how to swim, had no time to panic—only to act.
“As soon as I saw danger, saw the water coming into the car and we were no longer floating and starting to sink, something switched in me,” Randles told the BBC. “I thought I needed to get out and get Luca out.”
Without hesitation, he rolled down the windows, climbed out, and pulled his baby through the back window. The floodwaters had already reached his chest, and with the car disappearing beneath the water, he hoisted Luca above his head to keep him safe and dry.
“I carried him above my head to make sure he hadn’t touched any of the water,” Randles told SkyNews, recalling how quickly the situation escalated.
Back home, his partner Paige Newsome had no idea what was happening—until she saw pictures of their car, nearly fully submerged, circulating on social media.
“This is our car,” Newsome wrote in a Facebook comment. “Such a scary experience for my partner having to pull our 11-month-old baby out while the water was flooding in.”
Local residents say the area where this happened is notorious for flooding, and many have repeatedly asked officials to address the problem. Newsome echoed their frustration, calling on the Calderdale Council to take action before another family finds themselves in the same terrifying situation.
“To think that I could’ve actually lost them both makes me emotional,” she told reporters. “It’s really scary. Just a horrible thing to think about.”
Thankfully, Randles and Luca made it to safety with the help of a kind neighbor who gave them shelter while they waited for emergency responders. While the car was lost to the flood, what matters most is that this quick-thinking dad saved his son—and hopefully, they’ll never have to experience such a close call again.