[kellyhound]

The deadly Houston floods have claimed another victim bringing the death toll to eight for one of the worst flooding disasters to hit the area in recent years.

Claudia Melgar, a Houston Community College student, has been named as the eighth flood victim after her body was recovered from an SUV submerged under 30ft of water.

The 25-year-old was last seen leaving a local nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning and had text her mother on the drive back to ask if she wanted anything.

'That was the last we heard from her,' said her cousin, Linda Rodriguez.

Sadly Melgar drowned in her SUV before an officer could reach her.

Melgar was found in her white, Dodge Durango on evening Tuesday near Loop 610 and the Southwest Freeway after crews worked all day to drain the flooded tunnel in the Galleria-area.

Second vid :

Monday's flooding was a day of both heroics and tragedy, and on the Westpark Tollway, the two met.

"I knew the person was in there and alive. All I kept thinking was if I could just make it there maybe I could get the door open," said Bill Smiers, a member of the Harris County Toll Road Authority's Incident Response Team.

Smiers was sitting in his truck early Monday morning blocking off the Post Oak Exit on the Westpark Tollway. It is a deep underpass that often fills with floodwater.

At 6:09 am, roadway camera video shows an SUV squeeze by his truck. Video shows the vehicle drive into the water and immediately starts floating.

The video also shows the driver, now identified as Claudia Melgar, using the light from her cell to signal for help.

"The deeper she got, the more frantically she was waving it," Smiers told.

Smiers, a military veteran who has worked the toll road for 10 years, made two attempts to swim to the SUV even as the pumps underneath were sucking him down. He got within about 12 feet but had to turn back.

"At that point, I've got three boys of my own and a family and i have to see what I can do to save myself," Smiers said.

He met with the Melgar family Wednesday, offered his condolences and apologized he couldn't do more.

"I just could not get to her," he said.

Melgar was a college student from the Alief area.

[EmergencyMittens]

Those last ten seconds...I can't even imagine what was running through her head.

[kellyhound]

Originally Posted by EmergencyMittens ↗

Those last ten seconds...I can't even imagine what was running through her head.

water ?

[vanb]

Well apparently not "about time to open a window".

[tiki]

Modern cars are so cool. On some cars electronic locks and windows apparently cant open underwater. Trapped like a drowned rat. Ohh and she was drunk.

[John Doenut]

Not too drunk to drink the water tho.

[winnn420]

West Park Toll Road at Post Oak...she must have lived under a rock to not know how bad it floods at that spot

[Dennislp3]

She obviously assumed her SUV can handle anything...idiot

[mparryuk52]

OMFG sorry but Darwins theory at work here x

[Susan]

How horrific.