Overview
- An SUV carrying three people was carried off a roadway by flash flood waters in Ripley County on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, and floated roughly half a mile downstream before settling on a sandbar.
- The occupants called 911 and remained upright and talking on the phone, which gave dispatchers and responders vital real-time information about their condition.
- Local rescue crews, including certified rescue divers, reached the vehicle and used safety lines to guide each person from the SUV back to land.
- All three people were pulled to safety with no reported serious injuries, and one occupant identified in coverage was an 18-year-old high school senior.
- Officials and state troopers used the incident to warn that only a small amount of moving water can sweep a vehicle away and to urge people not to drive through flooded roads.