A Trussville man says he is lucky to be alive tonight after he says he was sucked into a drain pipe Friday when strong storms rolled through. Drew Owen lives in the Peppertree neighborhood. On Friday, he noticed his kids soccer balls floating away in the flood waters in their yard. Owen said the there was so much water he couldn’t see the ditch because the drain was so backed up. He went to get the soccer balls and as he grabbed the last one, “I got sucked down the drain pipe. I’m 6’2, 235 lbs and it sucked me up like a twig,” said Owen.
He believes he traveled as much as a football field while in the pipe. He went under Highway 11 from his home in Trussville and underneath railroad tracks. He estimates he was under the water for about 30-45 seconds.
“Honestly, all I could think about is not seeing my wife and kids anymore. Literally the next day was my dad’s funeral and I was going to die the day before it,” explained Owen…