17-Year-Old Girl Dies Saving Family First in Texas Flood

Lost Her Life After Saving Her Family
Teenager Swept Away by Floodwaters in Texas Tragedy

A heartbreaking story has emerged from Texas, United States, where a record-breaking flood struck and a teenage girl lost her life while saving her family from the raging waters.

A 17-year-old girl Malaya Hammond (left) who died saving her parents and siblings during the Texas flood, and her grieving family. Screenshot from GiveSendGo

On July 12 (local time), international media outlets including ABC News reported that the incident occurred at dawn on July 5 at the Cow Creek Bridge (Rt. 1431) in the Hill Country region of Texas. The Hammond family was traveling to attend a Christian summer camp when their vehicle was swept away by a rapidly rising current caused by heavy rainfall and fell off the bridge. In pitch darkness and against the fierce current, 17-year-old eldest daughter Malaya Hammond calmly opened the car door and helped her parents and two younger siblings escape one by one. Thanks to Malaya's actions, the entire family managed to reach the surface of the water, but Malaya herself was swept away by the strong current and went missing. Despite the family's and rescue teams' tireless search day and night for two days, Malaya was found dead under a tree on the morning of July 7.

This story has been widely shared on social media. A family friend, Mickey Willis, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Malaya fought to the end to save her family in the darkness," and added, "If it weren't for her, the entire family would have lost their lives."

Fundraising efforts to support the grieving Hammond family have been actively underway. On the 'GiveSendGo' fundraising site, which was launched on July 9, $147,620 (approximately 200 million KRW) was raised in just three days, and 'GoFundMe' has collected $152,000 (approximately 209.7 million KRW) so far.

A photo comparing the Texas Ingram Dam in 2022 (left) and on the 8th of last month (right). Captured by Maxa Technology

This flood was caused by torrential rains that hit the Guadalupe River area in the central inland region of Texas. At least 121 people have been reported dead, and more than 170 are missing. Notably, dozens of girls participating in a children's summer camp are among the victims. Foreign media have described this as "a disaster that might occur once in a hundred years." The bridge where the Hammond family's accident took place reportedly saw the water level rise by more than 6 meters in just 37 minutes due to the heavy rainfall, leading to the tragedy.

On July 11, President Donald Trump visited the flood disaster site in Texas and emphasized the destructive power of this flood. Observers interpret Trump's emphasis on the overwhelming devastation as an attempt to underscore that this was a disaster of such magnitude that it was beyond human control, especially amid criticism of the Trump administration's reduction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its budget cuts.