Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

A FEMALE driver surnamed Wei expressed her gratitude to the police officer Huang Xiaozhou in a visit to Lilang Police Station in Longgang District on Thursday for saving her life.

She also apologized for the trouble she had caused due to her recklessness and said she would let more people care about first aid and traffic safety through her story, according to a release of Shenzhen police.

On Tuesday morning, Wei, a teacher for 30 years, drove her usual route from home to school. On the way to school, it started to rain and the road began to be flooded with water. By a low-lying area near the foot of a hill, Wei hesitated upon seeing the muddy water, but drove through as she wanted to get to school on time. Her car stalled and Wei got stuck inside. Wei panicked when the water flowed into the car and started to rise. She called the police but was unable to tell the accurate location. More muddy water flashed down from the hill and Wei’s car was washed farther and water soon reached her chest.

“To leave no regret, I called my daughter, sent the position through mobile phone and told her my will,” Wei said. While she was trying to comfort her weeping daughter, Wei tried to tilt her head up when water had almost reached the ceiling. With the car flooded with muddy water, Wei could barely see the situation outside. However, she suddenly heard tapping on the car and a voice asking: “Are you all right?”

Wei was in tears when she saw a police officer standing by the car. The officer, surnamed Huang, smashed the window after asking simple questions and pulled Wei out of the car.

Huang, a Lilang Police Station community officer, has been serving for 18 years and is familiar with the environment in the neighborhood. After receiving the call for help, he drove to the scene though he didn’t know the exact location.

Huang brought a life vest and life buoy and paddled his way to the car when his police car could not go further into the flood.

On the same morning, Huang also approached several other vehicles that got trapped in floods and persuaded drivers to get off the car to safety.

During his duty until 9 a.m. Tuesday, five cars and seven people were taken to safety, according to the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau.