Bruce Tipton, 75, a North Carolina man, clung to a tree for around seven hours after murky water crushed his trailer home. Unfortunately, his body went limp and he fell into the water. His family was witness to the horrifying sight.
This tragedy happened in Marshall, North Carolina, with Tipton living by the waters of the French Broad River. Once Hurricane Helene started taking its toll on the East Coast of the United States, N.C. included, many residents - including Tipton - ignored the warnings.
However, as the storm grew stronger and the river waters rose, many local residents started to evacuate. Tipton, unfortunately, was not one of them. He stayed in his trailer home, expecting it to survive yet another storm. Despite firefighters insisting on evacuating him the same day of the tragedy, Tipton stayed put.
This decision was a big mistake. Tipton remained in his doorway while waiving at his family standing on the railroads. However, his trailer home disappeared in the blink of an eye. "One minute he's standing in the front door, and the next minute, the trailer's gone," said Annie Meadows, one of Tipton's nieces, to The New York Times.
For nearly an hour, Tipton's family thought he was gone for good. Then, they heard a cry for help. It was Tipton, clinging to a tree, fighting for his life.
An Impossible Rescue
Firefighters and the county's river rescue team arrived and quickly assessed the situation. They determined that the waters were too dangerous to enter and told the family that they would return at daybreak. "When they told me they wouldn't put boats in the water, I lost it," said Meadows.
There was nothing left to do but wait for the storm to calm down and for Tipton to resist. Unfortunately, at 10:51 p.m., Tipton's body went limp and he fell into the river's waters.
Scott Eastman, one of the witnesses to Tipton's fall and his neighbor, was shocked by what he saw. "I'm not going to tell you I'm going to have nightmares about it, but why wouldn't I?" said Eastman. "To hear somebody yelling 'Help!' for hours and to not be able to get to him? It's just sickening to me."
The river rescue team ended up saving other people affected by the storm. However, for them, not being able to save Tipton was heartbreaking. "That was the worst one," said Mitch Hampton, leader of the river rescue team. "Because the family's there, because you can't do anything. We couldn't get to him."
Bruce Tipton is survived by a daughter, her sister named Betty Pressley, and his nieces and nephews.
