LINDEN, Texas — Cass County has honored five first responders whose coordinated work saved a driver swept through a culvert and into fast-moving floodwater during severe weather in East Texas.
The Cass County Lifesaving Commendation recognizes Cass County Sheriff's Deputy Marty Lawrence, Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Colten Johnson, Linden Police Sgt. Matthew Graham, Emergency Services District responder James Burbridge and Emergency Services District No. 2 responder Brandon Miller, according to a July 29 report from KTBS.
Watch the body-camera account of the flood rescue
KTBS' report includes Texas trooper body-camera footage from the June 23 response and interviews explaining how the rescuers found and reached the driver. Because that recording materially documents the story, ThinBlueNews is embedding the publisher-hosted stream rather than substituting only a still image and outbound link.
Video source: Texas trooper body-camera footage and interviews published and hosted by KTBS. The source page and standalone KTBS video page are available if the embedded player does not load.
Floodwater swept the driver through a culvert
The rescue began June 23 after severe flooding swept a vehicle off Highway 248, KTBS reported. Lawrence told the station that he swam to the nearly submerged vehicle after rescuers secured a rope, but no one was inside.
According to Lawrence's account, the current had carried the driver through a culvert for roughly 100 yards before the man became lodged in a tree. Rushing water made it difficult for responders to hear his calls for help.
Johnson moved along nearby railroad tracks and used a light to search the area. The driver's reflective work shirt caught the trooper's attention, allowing the responders to locate him in the dark, Lawrence told KTBS.
A life jacket, rope and coordinated team
Once the team knew where the driver was, Johnson provided a life jacket and the rescuers used a rope. Lawrence said the others remained at the base of the railroad tracks while he went into the water to reach the man.
KTBS reported that the driver was treated at a local hospital and released. The station did not publish additional medical information, and ThinBlueNews is not identifying the driver or speculating about his condition beyond that confirmed outcome.
Cass County Judge Travis Ransom described the response as a team effort in a dangerous situation. The commendations recognize personnel from county, state, municipal and emergency-services agencies whose separate roles came together around one lifesaving objective.
“We do a lot of things people never hear about. It's nice to feel appreciated and recognized.”
Cass County Sheriff's Deputy Marty Lawrence, speaking to KTBS
Community recognition for work away from the spotlight
The ceremony gives the public a clear look at the often-unseen coordination behind a successful flood rescue: searching along the tracks, spotting reflective clothing, securing flotation and rope equipment, and putting a rescuer into moving water while teammates maintained the line.
Readers can find more verified lifesaving work in ThinBlueNews' police rescue news, police hero stories, first responder heroes and positive police news sections.
Sources, video and image attribution
- KTBS — “Five first responders honored for lifesaving actions in Linden,” published July 29, 2026. The local report provides the names and agencies of the honorees, the June 23 rescue account, direct interviews, confirmed hospital outcome, ceremony photograph and Texas trooper body-camera footage used here.
- KTBS standalone “Life Saving Award” video page, the fallback page for the publisher-hosted stream embedded above.
Featured-image note: The image is a real ceremony photograph published by KTBS showing the honorees with Cass County officials. It is not a reconstruction, generated scene or unrelated representative image. ThinBlueNews cropped the source photograph from 1280 × 720 to 1200 × 630 without changing the people or setting.
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