Roads still closed; Chuckatuck VFD engine washed off road Tuesday night

Published 11:42 am Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A Chuckatuck Volunteer Fire Department engine was swept off the road by high water Tuesday night while responding to a cardiac arrest call in Isle of Wight County.

Two Isle of Wight sheriff’s deputies also were swept off the road by three feet of rushing water while responding to the call on Lankford Lane. They managed to escape their vehicle and were rescued by a Carrollton Volunteer Fire Department volunteer whose personal truck was able to traverse the water, according to Kristin Wilda, a spokeswoman for Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputies and emergency responders were unharmed, according to Wilda. According to Chuckatuck VFD Chief Greg Parsons, a Chuckatuck four-wheel drive vehicle was able to reach the victim, transport him out and pass him to a waiting rescue vehicle, which took him to a hospital. There is no update on his condition at this time.

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In another water rescue, the Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department was able to rescue an adult and three children from a vehicle stopped in rising water on a bridge on Scotts Factory Road in Isle of Wight County. It happened about 1 a.m.

A flood warning remains in effect for the Blackwater River, which forms a portion of the city’s western border with Southampton County. The river is expected to crest Saturday at 15 feet, according to the National Weather Service. Flood stage is 12 feet. The most flooding is expected above Franklin.

A number of roads in Suffolk and Isle of Wight County remain closed after the torrential rains.

In Suffolk:

  • The 3700 block of Old Mill Road remains flooded and impassable.
  • The 200 block of Murphys Mill has a guardrail failing because of past flooding. Repair work is set for tomorrow.
  • There is high water on Northgate Commerce Parkway just south of the intersection with Nansemond Parkway (entrance to the business park). Nansemond Parkway is not impacted.

The following roads are closed in Isle of Wight County:

  • River Run at Walters Highway (Rt. 258)
  • Poor House Road at Bob White Road
  • Scotts Factory Road at Great Springs Road
  • Racetrack Road at Route 620
  • The bridge on Colosse Road by Darden’s Mill is closed.
  • Burdette Road and Stringwood Lane is closed at the bridge.