MCGREGOR, Texas (KXXV) — A dramatic swift water rescue at a low crossing bridge in McGregor has neighbors calling on McLennan County for more safety measures.
Chick Cowan, who lives near the bridge, witnessed the aftermath of the incident.
"We've been here several years and when we get large rains like we did last night, this low water bridge always floods and as you can tell from last night, a young man got caught on the bridge, and this has happened before," Cowan said.
Cowan told me he's seen similar incidents happen on the 40-foot wide low crossing in past years after heavy rains.
"My concern is he could have gone downstream in the very high waters and been at great risk of losing his life," Cowan said.
Cowan is calling on McLennan County to fix the bridge, including replacing pilings that are missing due to damage over the years. He believes the pilings could help prevent cars from being pushed off the bridge if they get stuck like the truck did.
"I'd really like to see if we can't work with the county to try to have this bridge repaired to ensure that cars stay on the bridge," Cowan said.
He explained that the ultimate goal is to make the bridge a high-level crossing, but he understands that is a big undertaking.
Cowan has met with the county before and earlier this week appeared in court to address the judge and commissioners about the situation.
"In past years I've seen as many as 3 vehicles go off this bridge. Fortunately, no loss of life yet, but this is a frequent occurrence, frequent occurrence when we have high waters. So yes, it's going to happen again. It's just a matter of rainfall," Cowan said.
McLennan County officials said in a statement to 25 News:
"McLennan County takes situations like this very seriously. We will inspect the low water crossing in the next several days and determine if any repairs or additional measures are needed to ensure that this low water crossing is as safe as possible. It is important that the public remember that it's best to turn around rather than drive across one of these crossings when they are covered by water."
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