Tubing accident survivor recalls clinging for her life

One of four survivors of a deadly tubing accident said by the time her family saw the dam on the Dan River, it was too late. Irene Villano, 18, told news outlets they had not seen any signs warning of the 8-foot (2-meter) high Duke Energy dam when they heard water rushing

"We wanted to hold onto her so bad, but we just had to let her go," Villano told WRAL-TV. Villano, her father, her older brother and cousin had their tubes around them and they clung to the dam for 20 hours and waited, she said. "We watched the sun go down. We watched the sun come up," Villano said. "I was just screaming for help most of the time, and then I just prayed." The next afternoon, a Duke Energy employee spotted them at the dam next to a plant and called 911. Crews rescued Villano, her father, 35-year-old Rueben Villano; her 14-year-old brother, Eric; and 14-year-old Karlos Villano. All four were treated at a local hospital for their injuries. Irene Villano is on crutches because of deep scrapes on her feet.