THP: Man rescued after Hawkins Co. creek carried truck half mile downstream

Good News Notes:

“Multiple agencies responded to a floodwater rescue Wednesday morning around 8:56 a.m., according to the Hawkins County Rescue Squad.

An announcement detailed that the rescue involved a person trapped in floodwater behind the 1400 block of Stanley Valley Road near Bray and George Allen roads. That person was safely removed from a vehicle and was transported to an area hospital, according to an 11:50 a.m. update from the Hawkins County Rescue Squad.

A preliminary THP report stated that the rescue involved a man trapped inside a 2004 Ford Sport Trac in a private drive.

At the end of the private drive, the truck attempted to cross a bridge over Big Creek before the “water carried the vehicle down the creek for approximately half a mile,” the report read.

A post from the Church Hill Rescue Squad revealed that the swift water gave rescuers limited access, and the TN District 1 Swift Water Rescue Team responded.

According to a statement from the Hawkins County Rescue Squad, Hawkins County EMA requested assistance from Tennessee Region One USAR Taskforce’s Swiftwater Team to conduct the rescue. While Swiftwater team members from the Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol Fire Departments as well as the Washington County/Johnson City EMS responded to the scene, emergency crews remained in contact with the man stuck inside the truck and stationed crews below the truck in the event that the man came out of the car.

With assistance from personnel on the shore and a raft, the Swiftwater team was able to reach the man and place a lifejacket around him. Once returned to shore, the man was transported to a hospital in the area for treatment and care, according to the Hawkins County Rescue Squad.

The Hawkins County Rescue Squad stated that it took around three hours from the time of dispatch to get the man removed from the truck and transported to the hospital….”

View the whole story here: https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/multiple-agencies-responding-to-person-trapped-in-hawkins-co-floodwater/

Leave a Reply