A driver escaped a sinking car on US 52 early Saturday only to find themselves stranded on its roof in the middle of Prairie Creek. It took a coordinated rope rescue to get them out. The driver was eventually taken to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
The crash happened on US 52 south of 400 North, roughly five miles northwest of Lebanon in Boone County, according to WTHR. Dispatchers requested mutual aid at around 5:15 a.m., and the City of Lebanon Fire Department says in a Facebook post that its Ladder 213 and Battalion 201 units responded to help the Center Township Fire Department handle what officials called a tactical vehicle collision requiring a high-angle rope rescue.
When crews arrived, they found a single passenger vehicle partially submerged in the creek. The driver had managed to climb out of the cabin and was stranded atop the vehicle as water moved around it, per the department's account. Reaching the driver required a rope rescue.
How the Rope Rescue Came Together
Technical rescue teams rigged a high-angle rope system to lower personnel down the embankment to the vehicle, the fire department said in its post. Once rescuers reached the driver, crews secured them and raised them back up to the roadway without incident. Emergency medical services evaluated the driver at the scene before transporting them to a local hospital.
The response leaned on a mutual aid structure that Boone County's fire agencies have built over years of joint training. Center Township Fire Department, headquartered at 525 Ransdell Road in Lebanon, covers about 65 square miles and roughly 18,000 residents across the rural township, according to The Lebanon Reporter. The department relies on mutual aid from Lebanon's career firefighters for specialized rescues like this one. Center Township's own Facebook posts note that Boone County agencies regularly conduct joint training for low-frequency, high-risk technical rescue and mass casualty operations, which helps crews move quickly when a call like this comes in.
Bridge Maintenance on US 52
In June, regional broadcaster Radio Mom reported that INDOT had scheduled single-lane closures on US 52 over Prairie Creek, just north of County Road 250 N, for bridge maintenance.
Once the driver was safely off the creek, Paddack’s Towing recovered the vehicle. Local law enforcement is now investigating what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway in the first place, though no findings have been released.
Familiar Units, Different Emergency
Lebanon's Battalion 201 command unit has handled complex incidents before. In August, Hoodline reported that a car slammed into a Lebanon home occupied by two people; one occupant was transported to the hospital, and a dog was injured. Battalion 201 carried the dog to a veterinary clinic.
The City of Lebanon Fire Department operates two stations. Lebanon Fire Chief Chuck Batts leads the department. It provided specialized rescue assistance to Center Township in this incident. The department's public information officers for this incident include Captain Jason Adams, Lieutenant Sam Dougherty, Engineer Gabe Westerfield and Deputy Chief Matt Young.
The rescue comes amid major projects near Lebanon. Hoodline reported earlier this month that Indiana regulators cleared eminent domain for power line expansion to support projects by Eli Lilly and Meta in the area.
