First responder describes sinkhole rescue in central El Paso

EL PASO, Texas– A heroic act by firefighters saved the life of a 72-year-old woman last week after her car was swallowed by a sinkhole that formed as she was driving in central El Paso.

Among those first responders that helped rescue the women was Chris Carson, Lieutenant at Station 7.

Carson tells ABC-7 he was eating dinner on a regular Tuesday evening when the station received a call about a water main break. About 20 seconds later, he said they heard about a water rescue in the same place.

By the time his unit arrived on the scene, fellow coworkers were trying to break the back window to save the woman.

And once the window was broken, that's when every second was critical.

“Probably about 1 minute, or 1 minute 30.. That's how long we had to save her,” said Carson.

His primary role in the rescue was to provide medical care for the woman.

Carson said he had never seen a rescue like this before and was prepared to do anything he had to, to save the women if needed.

He said he is proud of his two coworkers who displayed a great deal of heroism as they pulled the woman out of the car.

“When something like that goes wrong, that's what you expect from us, that's what we signed up to do, that's what the fire department means, where there because we want to go help people, we want to save lives,” said Carson.

Still, he said, it wouldn't have been possible without the bystanders.

“Without those bystanders and the right tools, this would have been a much different story,” said Carson.