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September 20, 2011

Lindsay Robinson and Meghan Heard, 24, were swept six miles down the Tallapoosa River after being caught in a swift current from the nearby R.L. Harris dam. Both women survived with no injuries and swam to shore after nearly an hour in the river.

Familiar with the area, both women had been careful to avoid the strong current. However, Robinson slipped and fell into deeper water. While trying to rescue her friend, Heard became trapped in the current as well. Both women clung to a large branch as they were swept away by the current.

“When were in the water it felt like forever, a good hour,” Robinson told the Anniston Star. “We kept looking at each other in the water saying we’re not going to die this way. It was horrible.”

Robinson and Heard took turns calming each other as the current carried them for over an hour. When they saw familiar train tracks, they made a split-second decision to swim for shore.

“I don’t know how we got to the bank, it was all a blur,” Robinson said. “Meghan let go of the branch and she was screaming ‘Let go!’”

Fortunately, both women are strong swimmers, and were able to reach the riverbank through the strong current.

Once they reached land, the women started hiking, barefoot and wearing only their bikinis. They climbed a fence, and walked barefoot through brambles and pasture to reach the railroad tracks where they were eventually picked up by a railcar.

From the railroad tracks, Heard and Robinson walked another three shoeless miles into town and were able to borrow an older couple’s phone to call 9-1-1, over three hours after their ordeal began.

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