Dad Whose Son, 5, Was Swept Away on Flooded Calif. Road Says Wife 'Made the Right Choice' to Leave Car
As authorities continue the search for Kyle Doan, the 5-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters in California, his father says he doesn't blame his wife for making the hard "split-second decision" to get out of their car when it began to float away on their way to school.
"It would've been a death trap if they'd stayed there," Brian Doan, 54, tells PEOPLE. "She made the right decision given the circumstances."
On Monday morning, Lindsy Doan, a 38-year-old special education teacher at Lillian Larsen Elementary, was on her way to school with her son, who is enrolled in kindergarten there. While on San Marcos Road, Brian says his wife slowed down when she realized the waters at the creek crossing "were faster and higher than she expected them to be."
He says that at the time, "there was no indication that the road was closed" or that there was "anything wrong" with taking that route. In fact, they'd actually driven through the area on Sunday without any issues.
But on that day, their car was overtaken by the rushing waters.
"It was a 4,000 pound vehicle and it basically floated her off of the road and into some trees," her husband says. As "water started to come into the car," Lindsy lost the ability to steer, he adds.
Still, Brian — who was on his way to Paso Robles with their daughter at the time — said that Kyle remained calm. "He told her, 'Don't worry, Mommy. It's okay. Everything's going to be okay,' " he tells PEOPLE.
Courtesy Brian Doan Kyle Doan
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The only door or window she was able to open was the one closest to her, Brian says.
Although she was initially able to get her son out safely, while she was "steadying him" and holding onto a tree, at some point a current pushed them, which "caused her to lose contact with him."
"He was ahead of her in the creek downstream. She was fighting to stay upright," he says. And as his wife continued to get hit with debris in the water, at one point "her head went below water" and "she lost track of him."
Courtesy Brian Doan Kyle Doan
His wife was rescued by neighbors, but they were unable to get to his son.
On Wednesday, as the search entered its third day, there were over 100 members of the National Guard on the scene looking for him, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say additional troops will be arriving on Thursday.
So far, Kyle has not been found, although Cambria Community Services District Fire Chief Justin Vincent previously told The Tribune in San Luis Obispo that authorities did find a child's shoe at the scene.
RELATED VIDEO: Mom and Daughter Saved in Dramatic Rescue After Sinkhole Swallows 2 Cars in Storm-Battered California
Speaking of the difficult decision to get out of the vehicle, Brian says that he knows "it was the right thing to do."
"Sometime later that day, Monday, I was told from rescue officials that the car was pushed upside down and farther down [the creek]," Brian says. "I don't see what else she could have done."
"People can beat themselves up, and that's the hard thing. But once she found herself in the situation with Kyle, she made the best choice," he adds.
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San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office Kyle Doan
Brian, who also shares an 18-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter with his wife, says Kyle is "a very energetic" kid who loves making friends and "being silly."
"He had a lot of challenges to deal with this last year, and we were proud of him. So proud," his father says. "It's really hard. It's so unfair. It really is."
And although it's been a difficult time, having the support of their neighbors has been "so humbling."
RELATED: Photos of the Devastating Rains and Widespread Damage in California
For now, Brian is just "trying to be patient" and stay optimistic that Kyle will be found.
"I just want some closure," he says. "I just want him found right now. I know it's probably not going to be the best possible outcome, but I just want an outcome right now."
