CADIZ, Ky. – A 61-year-old woman was killed after her vehicle was swept away by flooding in Kentucky that washed out a section of a road in Caldwell County.
Storms moved through portions of middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky Tuesday afternoon, causing power outages and flooding across the area.
Flood waters in Kentucky washed away a chunk of Blackhawk Road in Cadiz. Officials with Trigg County said Nancy Hyde Fox was killed when her vehicle was swept away by the rushing water.
She was headed back to her home located a few miles away after visiting her brother on his birthday.
According to emergency management officials, a Pennyrile Electric utility crew that had responded to an outage call was working near the site and saw the roadway wash out from under a vehicle as it crossed the Long Pond Branch Culvert.
Crews with the Trigg County Rescue Team searched for her car downstream for about three miles. Her vehicle was located submerged and upside down less than a mile away from the area.
Rescue crews recovered her body from inside the car around 1 a.m. According to authorities, her son, Trigg County Rescue Squad Chief Barry Fox, was among those who assisted in the recovery effort.
"Those of us involved with emergency preparedness and response in Trigg County are saddened and numbed by this tragedy," said Paula Flood with Trigg County Emergency Management. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family."
Fox worked at the Barkley Plantation Assisted living facility in Cadiz as a dietary supervisor. Residents and staff there said they can't believe she's gone.
"It was hard last night to notify my staff about what had happened, but it was even worse this morning to walk in with all our residents here for breakfast expecting to see her, and Nancy not be here," said Clara-Beth Hyde, the director of the assisted living facility.
Due to the speed of the rushing water, officials said searchers missed seeing the vehicle on their first sweep of the area.
Blackhawk Road remains blocked about a half mile on each side. The hole left behind was said to be some 60 feet wide and 20 feet deep.
Engineers were expected to return to the scene to access the damage. The road could be closed for at least a month.
