Overview
- Kentucky State Police say a 2005 Ford Mustang left the roadway near the 860 block of Bewley Hollow Road, overturned and entered a flooded creek shortly before 9 p.m. on Saturday.
- A KSP trooper, a Hardin County deputy and emergency personnel entered high water to free three people who were trapped inside the partially submerged vehicle and brought them to hospital care.
- The Jefferson County Coroner identified the deceased as 15‑year‑old Ethan Rhodes and determined his cause of death was drowning after he was transferred to Norton Children’s Hospital.
- KSP arrested 44‑year‑old David Rhodes of Elizabethtown and charged him with operating under the influence and first‑degree assault; he remains lodged while investigators say more charges may follow.
- Heavy rainfall and widespread flooding were active at the time of the crash, a factor that complicated the rescue and highlights the heightened danger of driving on flooded roads during storms.