Young driver escapes car submerged in water

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — The rain stopped Friday, but many parts of the state were dealing with the flooding aftermath.

Most taxing were the rescues around central Indiana after drivers went through high water.

Cellphone video showed a car submerged Thursday afternoon in a Center Grove Township creek in Johnson County. The young driver went through high water on Morgantown Road before his vehicle hydroplaned. White Glove Towing responded to the incident.

“He went through these trees and actually dropped 4 feet into the creek. It was about the height of where his sunroof is because it was coming in heavy,” said White Glove owner Tod Coumbe.

By chance, the driver had opened his sunroof to his car before losing control, according to Coumbe.

“It actually drifted a bit. He had to jump out. He went through the sunroof to get out. It was the only way out. It was moving. Then he said that he literally leaped the last 2 feet,” Coumbe said. 

On Friday, Coumbe pulled the car from the creek. It was just one of many water rescue situations in Johnson County. 

“If that car would’ve been upside-down, we would’ve had some fatalities in that incident,” Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess said. 

Burgess said innumerable crews rescued people all over the county. 

“Water will move a car such as the one in Morgantown Road. It swept it on down and by the end of the day, you couldn’t see the vehicle,” Burgess said. 

There were no serious injuries. But authorities warned that even inches of water can take over a vehicle. Often, high water shuts off electrical signals and prevents drivers from being able to roll down windows to escape. 

Fortunately in the case of this young driver, he happened to have his sunroof opened. 

“If they wouldn’t have got out, we would not know until the water would go down,” the sheriff said.

Burgess said he wants to remind drivers if they see high water, do not chance it. Turn around, don’t drown.