A tragic incident unfolded in Mooresville when a man drowned after being pulled into a culvert during flood conditions. Bradley Justus, 59, was attempting to remove debris from a drain at a pond when he was overtaken by the floodwaters on Saturday morning, as reported by IndyStar.
Fire crews from multiple jurisdictions, including Mooresville, Brown Township, and Hendricks County, responded to the emergency; however, they were forced to halt rescue efforts due to the peril posed by the hazardous rising water levels, which presented a danger to both the victim and the rescue team, according to WTHR.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed that Justus was sucked into the pipe at approximately 8:30 a.m. after a neighborhood pond he was clearing overflowed. The body of Justus was eventually recovered by rescue teams at 11:54 a.m. on Sunday, following his disappearance on Saturday, according to officials from the Indiana DNR and echoed by FOX59.
The incident remains under investigation by local authorities; the Indiana DNR has not yet provided additional details about the circumstances leading to the drowning, or whether the aftermath will prompt a review of safety precautions relating to flood conditions and maintenance around neighborhood ponds, which could pose hazards during severe weather events, such as the one that culminated in this unfortunate drowning death.
