More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A husband who was trapped in a flooding car at the bottom of a hill had to be rescued by his wife and son after they waded through armpit-height water in torrential rain.
Pip Bassett thought he was going to die when he was locked in the car with water rising above his waist.
The 65-year-old was driving up Heron Hill Lane in Meopham, near Gravesend, at around 10.30pm last night when high waters made their way into his car and caused the electrics to cut out.
A wave of water then sent the vehicle sweeping down the hill into a dip, facing the opposite direction, leaving him stranded and unable to open the doors because of the intense flooding.
The panicked driver rang his wife Zoë Rack who rushed to the scene, with their son Kai, 19, and a hammer.
They both had to wade through waters as high as their armpits.
The 45-year-old said: "I’m a very calm person and very little gets me flustered.
"This was quite shocking and shows just how quickly natural disasters can occur.
"My husband is fine now but I think he thought his number was up on Monday.
"My husband literally didn’t see the first wave of water as it was so far up the hill you wouldn’t have expected it.
"The car then got caught in a torrent and swept down the hill into the dip.
"The water was gushing across from Rhododendron and down Heron hill.
"This caused a whirlpool like river of water within the dip and was pouring into neighbouring fields. It was like something out of an action movie in all honesty.
"The doors wouldn’t open because of the pressure of the water against the doors. The electrics had cut out so he couldn’t open the windows either. I knew we had to get him out and thought the only way was to smash the window."
Mr Bassett, who did not want to be photographed, was trapped in the car for 30 minutes, but said it "felt like a lifetime" before being helped out by his family.
Nobody suffered any serious injuries, but the driver was left with some small cuts.
"This was quite shocking and shows just how quickly natural disasters can occur..." - Zoë Rack
Mrs Rack added: "We’re fine today, everyone is fine and no one got hurt.
"My husband has a few cuts from the flying glass but that’s a small price to pay.
"The car isn’t too healthy though and is likely a write off."
Police spokesman Andy Saunders said: "Police were called at 10.32pm on Sunday June 10 to reports a man was trapped in his vehicle due to flooding in Meopham.
"Officers attended the scene and the man was able to exit his vehicle without any injury."
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