A man from Alabama described his horrifying experience of being sucked into a storm drain. According to PEOPLE, Drew Owen, on June 27, was pulled through 500 feet of pipe after trying to recover his son’s soccer balls from a severe flood.
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Owen was searching for the lost soccer balls around the area where the storm drain entrance was. It was hidden under the flood in a ditch, and it was difficult to see.
Man Pulled Through 500-Foot Long Storm Drain Pipe While Underwater
“Of course, I could not see anything; it was dark, and this was nothing but water,” said Owen to WBRC. “But the ball was somewhere in this area. So, I went to step to go get it, and when I did, this ditch is steep and I stumbled into the water.”
Upon attempting to pull himself from the chest-deep water, the rushing water sucked him into the storm drain. Owen described being sucked up the pipe “like a twig” as a 6’2, 235 lbs man, per ABC 33/40.
The water dragged Owen underwater 100 yards through the drain. By the time he was pushed out the other end, he grabbed onto a tree for dear life.
The good news is that Owen came out of the terrifying incident with only a few scratches and a bruised arm. While he did lose his shirt and shoes through the accident, as well as scratching his wedding ring, he’s lucky to be alive.
On The Edge Of Death
Owen recalled being stuck underwater for 45 seconds. The father was sure that he was going to die there and was worried about his family. “First was that my kids weren’t gonna have a father, and that my wife wasn’t gonna have her husband,” said Owen.
“Then secondly, my dad’s funeral was the next day. I’m literally gonna die the day before my dad’s funeral.”
After that horrifying experience, Owen is hoping to raise awareness about the dangers of storm drains. He wondered what would’ve happened if his own kids had looked for the soccer balls instead of him.
“What if they would have chased that ball and tried to get it? They would’ve most likely drown,” he said. Owen is now calling for the city to install something like a grate in front of the pipe to avoid this happening again.