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A Dewey Police Officer saved a woman from drowning after she hydroplaned her vehicle into a creek late Monday morning west of Dewey.

The accident occurred on Durham Road between North 3950 and North 3960 Roads. Dewey Fire Chief Jacob Cox said a bystander called the accident in around 11:00 a.m., stating that the woman wrecked her 2020 Hyundai Palisade in the creek. Cox said the caller advised that the vehicle was filling up with water and that the driver was unsure if she could get out. He said the driver was able to exit the Palisade but ended up getting sucked under the bridge and shot out the other side of Durham.

If there were any traps or obstacles under the bridge, Chief Cox said the woman would've drowned because the underside of the bridge was fully submerged with water.

Chief Cox said the driver was hanging onto a bar over the creek once she resurfaced on the other side of the bridge. He said Dewey Police Officer Johnie Pointer was the first to the scene. Without hesitation, Officer Pointer jumped into the water to rescue the driver. 

The driver was transported to Ascension St. John in Bartlesville where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Chief Cox said they wanted to get her checked out because she was under the bridge for an extended period of time.

This was a "turn around, don't drown" situation. Chief Cox said there was no barricade on Durham Road, but there was a "Water On Roadway" sign in the area. He said she went around the sign at a high rate of speed, which resulted in her hydroplaning into the creek.

Chief Cox said the Oklahoma Highway Patrol worked the accident. He thanked Washington County Emergency Management, the Dewey Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Bartlesville EMS and Alert Wrecker for assisting with the scene.