FRIENDSHIP (WKOW) — Rescue crews removed a woman Tuesday from an SUV who unknowingly drove into a washout on County Highway J in Adams County.
The car and driver were discovered in the hole Tuesday afternoon by a photojournalist from 27 News working with a reporter on flood coverage.
Matt Anderson called 911 and went down into the 8-10 foot washout to talk with the woman until EMS staff arrived.
The crews pulled the woman up and out of the hole and airlifted her to a hospital. Then, a tow truck showed up to pull the severely-damaged car out.
Authorities said they weren’t sure of the driver’s condition as of mid-afternoon Tuesday.
This is the second time this has happened since the flood waters washed out the road, according to Adams County authorities.
The highway department set up barricades with road closed warnings a good distance away and on both sides of the washout, so the drivers would have had to go around the barricades to get through the area.
Now, officials are pleading with neighbors to obey their signs.
“I am surprised that this has happened like that,” said Sheriff Brent York. “Unfortunately, with the culvert washing away and it being so deep, it’s requiring additional resources from our agency to come out here because of the medical side of it.”
We’re not sure how long the driver was in the washout before our crew discovered her, but authorities say they had no plans to go back and visit the area before dark. The highway department has been checking on the closed portions of roads across the county about once a day. Drivers would not have passed through, because there are no homes in between the barricades.
Officials say that portion of County J is closed indefinitely right now. It could be quite a while before crews are able to repair it and it reopens.
More at WKOW 27 News