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Homeless Man Rescued From Car During Flooding In Lebanon

Posted at 9:27 PM, Feb 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-17 23:21:52-05

A homeless man was rescued from his car in Lebanon after he became trapped in flood water.

Lebanon firefighters said they had trouble finding him in the wooded area.

The man was unable to get out of his car because he was handicapped they said.

"He was a homeless person that was living out of his vehicle, so the rising water caught him in it," Chris Stockton said.

The man's truck was stuck in a muddy field near Legends Drive and South East Tater Peeler Road.

"He had parked the vehicle adjacent to the creek. The water came up, and it just caught him there," Stockton said. "And his truck was stuck, so basically he couldn't drive his vehicle out." 

Firefighters waded out a quarter mile in thigh-high water to find and rescue him.

"If the water was still it would be one thing, but the velocity of the water moving sideways will move that vehicle fairly easily," Stockton said.

Wilson County Emergency Management Agency sent us go pro video of a creek in Lebanon that rose quickly during heavy rain Saturday morning. 

In addition to the water rescue, several roads were closed for flooding. According to dispatch, Chicken Road near Central Pike and the 2600 block of Bluebird Road were impassible Saturday afternoon.

"Bluebird is historically one of those that floods with any significant rainfall, and again, people that live in the area seem to be the ones that get in trouble," Stockton said.

Stockton said you should turn around, don't drown.

"Do not drive your vehicle in any water, especially the rising water through the creeks and that type stuff, because people just don't understand the power that water has," Stockton said.

So when flash floods strike, stay away from raging creeks.

"We have a lot of high water issues around Lebanon, and we notoriously have people that get in trouble," Stockton said.

No one was injured during the water rescue.