Two Men Rescue Driver Of Car Swept Up In Flooding On Banksville Road

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- As the skies opened up and the rain pounded the area, many of the usual spots in the South Hills prone to flash flooding got hit hard Saturday afternoon. Banksville Road was one of them.

The flooding happened near the low lying Banksville Road intersection at Potomac Avenue and it quickly turned into a river.

Rains pelted the area near the BP gas station and Firestone Complete Auto.

One of the cars that got swept into the Swift fast-moving waters was driven by 90-year-old Harold Gold.

He was driving alone but thought he could make it when it was suddenly too late.

"I knew he was stuck in there and the water was coming up to basically over his windows," said John Messina.

Messina and another man rescued Harold Gold from his car.

Before Harold even had a chance to call 9-1-1, Messina was driving up Banksville with his teen daughter at the time, pulled over and jumped into action.

"So I took off my shoes and I walked over and as I walked closer to the car, I saw him," Messina said.

Cell phone video was taken by bystanders, including Messina's teen daughter, of the man as he was rescued from his car as it got incredibly dangerous.

The water was waist high at one point.

"They told me how to maneuver to get me out the window and they carried me over here to the gas station," Harold Gold said.

Banksville wasn't the only area hit by flash flooding, so were two other areas prone to flash flooding Lebanon Church Road in West Mifflin and in another part of the South Hills, Route 88 onto McNeilly Road.

Lines were down on The T tracks at Washington Junction following the rains. Bus shuttles were running for the Library portion of the Blue line between Washington Junction and Library.
On Banksville Road, the all too familiar scene here made for good preparation.

"As far as I'm concerned they're top quality people, Gold said.

"I thought of him as my dad," Messina said after the rescue.

Traffic is moving again, it almost looks like nothing ever happened on Banksville Road except for the debris washed onto the road.

The restaurants and businesses on Banksville Road had 15 inches of water inside and are cleaning up again, but no serious injuries were reported.