A drive across a low-water crossing in Pettis County, Missouri, turned into an all-day survival test when a vehicle was swept off the roadway, leaving a person and their dog clinging to tree branches for more than eight hours until help finally arrived.
The pair held on in the fast-moving water until a passerby happened to spot them and called for help. Firefighters launched a rescue boat, pulled them from the current and brought them to shore, where emergency medical services checked the person out and cleared them.
Rescue After Vehicle Swept Off Low-Water Crossing
According to a statement from the Pettis County Fire Department, crews were dispatched to Oak Grove Lane at about 5:20 p.m. last Monday after that passerby reported seeing the person and dog clinging to branches in the floodwaters, as reported by WKRC.
The department said the individual had been stranded since about 9 a.m. and ended up spending roughly 8 hours and 20 minutes holding on to the tree before crews reached them. That is a very long time to hang on in floodwater, no matter how strong you are.
Boat Rescue And Multi-Agency Response
Once on scene, rescuers deployed a boat to get out to the tree and bring both the person and the dog safely back to shore, KCTV reported. The Pettis County Sheriff's Department and Pettis County Ambulance District assisted in the operation.
After being brought to dry land, the individual was evaluated by EMS and medically cleared, according to the fire department.
Why Low-Water Crossings Are So Dangerous
The incident underscores what safety experts have been saying for years about flooded roadways. The National Weather Service warns that just six inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult off their feet, and 18 inches of moving water can carry away most vehicles.
That is why the agency pushes its “Turn Around, Don't Drown” campaign so hard. Flooding is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States, and many of those deaths happen when people try to drive through water covering a road that looks shallow or harmless.
Local Warnings And Takeaways
Authorities have used this rescue as a fresh reminder to avoid flooded crossings altogether and to treat any water flowing over a road as impassable, KCTV reported.
The Pettis County Fire Department called the response a collaborative effort among multiple agencies and publicly thanked everyone who assisted, according to WKRC.
