Two safe after water rescue in Callaway County

CALLAWAY COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

South Callaway County fire officials say one man and one woman are safe at home after they were saved in a water rescue in the 7800 block of Route O in Callaway County.

South Callaway Fire Protection District Capt. Josh Lippincott said the two attempted to drive through a flooded area and didn't see or realize how deep the water was, they got stuck and called 911. The name of the people in the vehicle was not immediately released.

Lippincott said his department received the call at 11:54 a.m., South Callaway Fire Protection arrived on scene at 12:12 p.m. and the two individuals were out of the water and safe by 12:32 p.m.

Tom and Steve's Tow Service successfully pulled the van from the water by 1:17 p.m. Lippincott said the water was around two and a half-feet-deep.

Lippincott noted the woman in the car was handicapped and wheelchair-bound, that the department had to use extra caution when removing her from the vehicle. However, he said his department also works as EMS service so they were confident in their experience to remove her safely.

"We work as an EMS service, and we're in conjunction with the EMS. So we have quite a bit of experience in that. And we'll do it safely without putting our patient at any risk," Lippincott said.

The Callaway County Sheriff's Office wrote on its social media at 11:36 a.m. Wednesday that Route O was inaccessible because of flooding and that it would impact Ameren UE employees.

The South Callaway Fire Protection District later wrote on its social media that three trucks were dispatched.

"As a reminder, never attempt to enter flooded waters. This creates a dangerous and unpredictable situation," the department wrote.

Lippincott told ABC 17 in order to avoid these types of situation, try to avoid any water on the road if possible.

"Really never try to drive across water on the road. It's very hard to predict the road may not be there," Lippincott said, "always, always avoid any water on the road."

Additionally, the sheriff's office announced closures for County Roads 428, 449 and 133 near Auxvasse Creek.

Damage was observed by law enforcement on Route F near County Road 341 east of Millersburg, according to an earlier social media post from the Sheriff's Office. The image shared by the office showed a fallen road.

Other areas in Callaway County experienced flooding. The City of Fulton stated on its social media that flooding occurred on portions of the Stinson Creek Trail, Veterans Park, Ewing Avenue, Brookside Drive, Westminster Avenue from Industrial Drive to Saint Eunice Road, and Saint Eunice Road from Westminster Avenue to Cardinal Drive.

The possibility of more flooding is in the forecast. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of Mid-Missouri through Thursday night.

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