One father’s late-night attempt to recover his children’s toys turned into a terrifying underground ordeal that nearly ended in tragedy.

A Trussville, Alabama, man is recovering after being pulled into a storm drain and swept hundreds of feet underground during severe flooding on the night of June 27, 2025. Drew Owen, a resident of the Peppertree neighborhood, was chasing his children’s soccer balls in his yard when the rushing floodwaters dragged him under.

Drew had lived in the neighborhood for five years and never imagined that a routine summer storm would put his life at risk. On Friday night, heavy rain quickly overwhelmed his yard, sending several of his children’s soccer balls drifting toward U.S. Highway 11.

As he stepped into the chest-deep water to retrieve one of the balls, he didn’t realize he was near a hidden ditch. It was dark, and the area was entirely submerged. “I got sucked down the drain pipe. I’m 6’2, 235 lbs and it sucked me up like a twig,” Drew said.

Before he knew it, he was pulled into a large underground pipe that runs beneath the highway and nearby railroad tracks — an estimated 100 yards in total.

The force of the current kept him completely submerged, and the experience left him disoriented and unable to breathe for approximately 30 to 45 seconds.

“I was just praying that it was going to drop at some point soon, because I didn’t know if it was, the pipe was going all the way down Highway 11, or it was going to drop two minutes from now. I honestly was saying my goodbyes,” Drew shared.

Naturally, at the time, his thoughts turned to the people he might never see again. “First was that my kids weren’t gonna have a father and that my wife wasn’t gonna have her husband. Then secondly, my dad’s funeral was the next day. I’m literally gonna die the day before my dad’s funeral,” he expressed.

Eventually, he was expelled from the drain’s other end and managed to grab a tree to stop himself from being carried further. “My guardian angel my dad that help me [sic],” he believes.

As a result of this ordeal, Drew suffered bruises, scrapes along his side, and rib injuries. Additionally, he was missing his shirt and shoes, with a scratched wedding ring and a pinky toenail he feared might not stay attached.

The emotional toll of the incident was just as severe. Drew said the moment he surfaced, he thought about how much worse the situation could have been if it had involved one of his children.

“What if they would have [sic] chased that ball and tried to get it? They would’ve most likely drown,” he said. Now recovering, Drew is speaking out to raise awareness and to advocate for changes.

He and his wife, Kasey Owen, are urging local or state officials to install protective grates over exposed drainage pipes. They believe this measure is necessary to ensure that no adult or child in their community has to face the same danger.

Additionally, the family knows how rare a survival like this can be. “Honestly, it’s not lost on us that Drew is a miracle. Most people don’t live to tell these stories. Most of the time, you hear about them when it’s too late. We’re just so thankful I have my husband and my kids have their dad,” she added.

City officials are aware of the incident. Trussville’s mayor went to the site and noted that the drainage pipe was originally installed by the state. Additionally, he said that parts of the surrounding land are privately owned.

The city’s public works department is currently exploring ways to reduce flooding and improve safety near drainage infrastructure to avoid any tragedy going forward.

Unfortunately, storms can be dangerous, even for people who stay safely inside their homes. As previously reported, in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 22, 2025, a violent tornado struck the hamlet of Clark Mills in Oneida County, New York. Among the storm’s three fatalities were six-year-old twin sisters, Emily and Kenni Bisson.

They were inside their home on Hoyland Avenue with their mother, Kayleigh Bisson, when the EF-1 tornado touched down at approximately 3:58 a.m., according to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the National Weather Service.

Deputies were dispatched around 4 a.m. following multiple reports of trees falling onto homes. One of those calls came from a neighbor who reported that a woman had become trapped inside her home after the roof collapsed and she couldn’t locate her daughters.

The tornado, which brought peak winds of 105 mph, carved a 2.43-mile path, 300 yards wide, through Oneida County.

It left widespread devastation across the small community of Clark Mills, a hamlet of about 1,600 residents in the Town of Kirkland. In just a few minutes, it uprooted trees, tore apart structures, and downed utility poles.

One of those trees, a massive maple with twin trunks nearly three feet in diameter, collapsed onto the Bisson family’s rental home, crashing through the roof and second story before landing on the first floor, where Kayleigh and her daughters were located.

Kayleigh was temporarily trapped beneath the roof after it collapsed. Neighbor Jared Bowman, who lived next door, said he ran to help her escape. “She was yelling, ‘Get my kids out!'” he recalled. “But there was no noise. It felt very eerie and bad.”

Another neighbor, Rick Carollo, a member of the Clark Mills Fire Department, said he was awakened by the storm, which he described as sounding like a freight train. He received an emergency alert on his phone directing him to the scene.

“I found the mother in the front window,” he said. “I had to climb a tree to get her out.” When authorities arrived and began searching through the wreckage, they discovered the two girls inside and pronounced them dead at the scene.

The girls were not the only victims of the storm. In a separate incident nearby, 50-year-old Shelly Johnson died when a tree crashed through her home on Millstream Court while she lay in bed. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Back at Clinton Elementary School, where Emily and Kenni were first-grade students, the loss was deeply felt. In a statement shared with the school community, Superintendent Christopher Clancy confirmed their deaths, writing, “Our hearts are with all of the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy.”

Additionally, the school was canceled on Monday, and counselors were made available for students who were beginning on Tuesday.

The Bisson family had moved into the rental home only a few months earlier. A GoFundMe campaign created to support Kayleigh described her as a single mother who “lost everything—children, house, clothing, and memories.” As of Wednesday, June 25, the campaign had raised more than $308,000.

The girls, according to the page, were active in softball, soccer, dance, and gymnastics. They were also known throughout their town for their joy and creativity. “They walked through life smiling, dancing, and belly laughs that lasted for days,” the description read.

The tornado, confirmed by the National Weather Service in Binghamton, was part of a larger line of severe thunderstorms that moved through the region. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in 32 counties, citing not only the storm’s damage but also a forecast of extreme heat in the days to follow.

In nearby Vienna, also in Oneida County, a tree fell onto a camper around 4:17 a.m. the same morning, seriously injuring two people who were trapped inside. They were rescued by the Vienna Fire Department and transported to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

The emergency response included the Clark Mills Fire Department, New York State Police, the Town of Kirkland Police Department, and several fire departments and public service agencies. A local senior center opened its doors to assist residents affected by the storm.

Emergency crews continued clearing debris as muddy water streamed through streets and the sound of chainsaws echoed throughout the hamlet. The Sheriff’s Office expressed condolences, stating, “[We] would like to express our deepest condolences to the families involved, during this difficult time.”