Trapped driver in raging flood saved just before car swept away, VA rescuers say
A driver traveling through rural Virginia in the middle of the night was put in a terrifying predicament when the pavement vanished under several feet of swift-moving water, rescuers say.
It happened around 1 a.m. Tuesday, June 17, near the Blackwater River in Franklin County, and it was not long before water topped the hood, photos show.
“Callaway Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a vehicle in water with an occupant trapped inside and water rising to the doors,” the fire department reported in a Facebook post.
“The original location provided was incorrect, but crews quickly located the vehicle in the 6600 block of Callaway Road — where floodwaters from recent rains had overtaken the roadway.”
By then, the car was surrounded by choppy brown water and its front end was no longer visible, photos show.
“Crews (rescued) the individual from the vehicle just moments before it was swept away by the current,” the fire department reports. “Franklin County Fire & EMS evaluated the occupant on scene, and fortunately, no injuries were reported.”
The identity of the driver was not released and firefighters did not report how long the person was stuck.
Franklin County was hit with “a persistent cluster of torrential rain and heavy thunderstorms” the night before the rescue, Meteorologist Jamey Singleton wrote in a Facebook post.
Some parts of the region got up to 6 inches of rain, creating a risk of landslides, he said.
The community remained under a flood watch June 17, the National Weather Service reported.
“These storms will have the potential to drop quick amounts of rainfall with rainfall rates of 3-5 inches per hour possible,” NWS forecasters said.
Franklin County is located in the Blue Ridge foothills, about a 165-mile drive southwest from Richmond.
This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 11:15 AM with the headline "Trapped driver in raging flood saved just before car swept away, VA rescuers say."