Multiple Agencies Respond to Water Rescue Involving Commercial Vehicle

Multiple agencies including Rutherford County Fire Rescue (RCFR), Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department (MFRD), Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO), and Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services (RCEMS) responded to a water rescue at the 4000 block of Elam Road around 4:00 Monday afternoon.

Reports indicated that a commercial vehicle was stuck in rising waters. RCFR Stations 51 and 60 responded and found a box truck 100 yards off in the water with one confirmed occupant still inside the cab.

It was determined that the truck was not hauling anything at the time the incident occurred. A drone was deployed to gain an aerial view and crews were able to walk parallel to the river on dry land looking for options to safely remove the occupant from the vehicle. Crews decided the best option would be to deploy a boat team upriver to rescue the driver.

“Thanks to a seamless operation between RCFR, MFRD, RCSO, and RCEMS, the occupant was safely removed from the vehicle and brought back to dry land where he was evaluated by paramedics,” said Captain Andy Haston.

Fortunately, the driver was unharmed.

RCFR would like to remind residents that the current and anticipated rainfall amounts have many areas experiencing high water alerts and, in some cases,, road closures.

“While we train for this sort of thing often,” said Haston, “we prefer that our residents use extreme caution in navigating flooded areas. It’s best to turn around and find an alternate route.”

To stay up to date on the latest alerts for high water or road closures, Rutherford County has made it easy to access the information on a public information app generated by the GIS department in collaboration with Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency. To access the County’s flooding map, visit: rcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/09d7baee3522455ea617f2b24dea6dc6.