A man is in critical condition after a vehicle carrying two occupants was swept off the roadway and into floodwaters Wednesday near Stanley in western Daviess County, according to a release from the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials said that at 12:51 p.m. on April 16, Owensboro-Daviess County Central Dispatch received a report of a vehicle that had entered floodwaters near the intersection of Griffith Station Road and Highway 279 North. Emergency crews responded to find the vehicle nearly submerged and a male subject unconscious in the water nearby, according to DCSO.
A release says that firefighters recovered the man approximately 150 yards from the roadway and began CPR. He was then flown by PHI Air Medical to Deaconess Midtown Hospital in Evansville in critical condition, according to the release. The second occupant, a passenger, was rescued from the vehicle by firefighters.
The passenger told deputies that the vehicle began floating as it attempted to drive through the floodwaters. It was then swept into deeper water, and the compartment began filling, authorities said. The driver exited the vehicle and was carried away by the current, while the passenger stayed inside due to less water on his side of the car, the release said.
DCSO is reminding motorists not to attempt to drive through floodwaters, as several parts of Daviess County are still experiencing severe flooding, despite receding water levels.
Other responding agencies included Daviess County Fire Department, Stanley Fire Department, and AMR Ambulance Service.
