A Lake Cowichan couple had to swim out the windows of their SUV to escape the rising waters of Harris Creek early Thursday.
“I would say they came very close to not getting out,” said Lake Cowichan RCMP Const. Simon Forshaw.
“This was like a movie.”
The couple, believed to be in their late 30s, had been camping in their SUV for several days on the shores of lower Harris Creek between Fairy Lake and Lizard Lake.
About 4 a.m. Thursday, they discovered the river had risen around the vehicle.
When they tried to drive out, they drove into deeper water.
“The engine died. The electrical died. They had to push the windows down to get out,” Forshaw said.
“They went on the roof first, but the current was pulling their vehicle and they decided it was safer to try to swim to shore and, luckily, they made it.”
It was pitch black. There was no light from the moon and no street lights, only a torrential downpour, Forshaw said.
“They didn’t know where the shore was or how far they were from the shore, and the current was pulling their vehicle down the river,” he said. “They lost their vehicle. They lost everything in the vehicle. They had no flashlights. Their phone sunk.”
The water in Harris Creek is fed by mountain creeks and streams and would be “super, super cold,” Forshaw said.
Getting to shore was one thing. Then the couple had to figure out where they were in relation to the road. When they made it to the road, it was partially washed out.
“They had to wade through or swim through a little more water before a logger picked them up,” Forshaw said.
The logger brought them back to his house and gave them a hot cup of coffee and dry clothes.
Their relatives picked them up and took them to the Lake Cowichan detachment, where Forshaw took a statement.
“They were shaken up and a little bit hypothermic,” he said.
“I had them checked out by Emergency Health Services and they were good.”
