Rescuers of Nikki Campbell and her young daughter were relieved the desperate battle to save them had a happy ending.
Dalry men George Winder and Bob Peace, along with two policemen, rescued them from freezing chest-high water.
Little Rhea, who was born prematurely and has cerebral palsy, recently celebrated her second birthday.
The men drove in Mr Winder’s Land Rover to reach the stricken car – with the two officers on the back bumper.
Mr Winder,46, said: “I was coming home from work when I saw a queue of car headlights over the river.
“I grabbed my Land Rover keys to see if there was anything I could do to help.
“It was partly instinct and partly my nose bothering me.
“The police were there and we took a decision to go straight in with the Land Rover.
“When we got alongside the engine took a drink of water and that was that.
“The water was up to my chest and I dragged Nikki on to the Land Rover roof.
“She was in an awful state. I honestly thought she was going to stop breathing.
“Bob’s a first responder and we got his life vest on her .
“Bob and the policeman then took her in their arms and floated her out.”
Mr Winder, a field supervisor in the renewable energy sector, added: “It was a great outcome but the bottom line is they were very lucky.
“If one link in that chain of rescue had been missing the whole thing would have fallen apart.
“We came so close to three people losing their lives.
“That road is notorious for flooding. It would be nice to see something done about it.”
Retired Dalry bobby Mr Peace, 69 said: “When we approached she was holding the baby out of the window.
“It was horrendous for her but for us it was just something that had to be done.
“Her reaction when she was at the point of being saved was just as if she simply ran out of energy.
“Physically her body temporarily just gave up.”
Local postie and fireman Jeck McGaw was among the emergency services personnel helping at the scene.
He told the News: “I must admit I thought Nikki was dead.
“When we brought her out and and laid her down she was like a corpse. The water was ice-cold.
“One of the policeman who brought out the wee girl could hardly stand and could not breathe.
“He saved the wean. They could have lost their lives as well.”
