JACKSON COUNTY, Indiana — The sheriff in Jackson County is asking drivers to be aware of high water on roads after his department has responded to dozens of water rescues already this year.
“People just think they can drive through water,” said Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer. “What they don’t understand is just as simple of two or three inches of water can wash your car off the road, or the road underneath the water could already be washed away.”
Meyer says flooding isn’t uncommon for the county, specifically after a week of consistent rain like the county saw this week.
“There’s a dozen or more roads that you just know if we get a lot of rain it’s going to flood,” said Meyer. “We respond to a lot of these calls. We’ve probably been to at least 50 of these just in 2020.”
Two of those happened within hours of each other on Wednesday.
In one case, a deputy put on a wet suit to rescue a woman from her car that had washed off the road. Meyer said the water was up past the seat of her car.
Just a few hours later, conservation officers assisted deputies by bringing in their boat boat to rescue the occupants of a car stuck in water.
“I’d like everybody to just pay attention. If we get a lot of rain, be careful. If you see any water at all it’s just safer to turn around and try an alternate route,” said Meyer.
Roads that often flood are marked with signage. Meyer says any driver who gets stuck in water and has to be rescued by the sheriff’s department could be facing a fine of up to $500 dollars.
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