18KY007

DATE: 

March 02, 2018

TIME:

9:17 pm. 

VICTIM:

45-year old police officer

INDUSTRY/NAICS CODE:

Public Administration/92

EMPLOYER: 

Police department 

SAFETY & TRAINING:

22 weeks of training in the 

academy & refresher 

classes

SCENE: 

Flooded roadway

LOCATION:

Kentucky 

EVENT TYPE:

Drowning 

___________________________

INCIDENT HIGHLIGHTS

REPORT#: 18KY007 REPORT DATE: 11-5-18

Police Officer Drives into Flood Waters and 

Drowns

________________________________________________________ 

SUMMARY

On March 2, 2018, a 45-year-old police officer was patrolling a

county road when he drove his 2015 Ford Explorer into floodwaters 

from a nearby creek that had overflowed into the road. He radioed 

for a tow truck and within two minutes, was frantically asking for a 

rescue.... READ THE FULL REPORT> (p.5)

________________________________________________________ 

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include:

• Weather

• Lack of physical barrier between road and creek

• Insufficient roadside lighting

• Possible overdriving of the headlights

_____________________________________________________

RECOMMENDATIONS

FACE investigator concluded that, to help prevent similar 

occurrences: 

• County road department should install a roadway sign that warns

of quick flooding during rain and close the road as quickly as

possible with temporary barricades.

• City government should consider installing streetlights

approaching the flood plain.

• Employers should ensure each employee is aware of roadway

areas that flood during rainy season.

• Employees should never overdrive their vehicle’s headlights.

http://www.mc.uky.edu/kiprc/face/index.html
Page 2

Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program

This case report was developed to draw the attention of employers and employees to a serious safety hazard and is based on 

preliminary data only. This publication does not represent final determinations regarding the nature of the incident, cause of the 

injury, or fault of employer, employee, or any party involved.

This case report was developed by the Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program. Kentucky FACE is a

NIOSH-funded occupational fatality surveillance program with the goal of preventing fatal work injuries by studying the worker, the 

work environment, and the role of management, engineering, and behavioral changes in preventing future injuries. The FACE 

program is located in the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC). KIPRC is a bona fide agent for the Kentucky 

Department for Public Health.

Email: Kyfaceprogram@uky.edu

Twitter: http://twitter.com/KYFACEProgram 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kyfaceprogram/ 

Website: http://www.mc.uky.edu/kiprc/face/index.html
REPORT#: 18KY007 Page 3

INTRODUCTION

On Friday, March 2, 2018, a police officer was killed after driving his 2015 Ford Explorer into floodwaters while 

on patrol. On Monday, March 5, 2018, the Kentucky Labor Cabinet informed the Kentucky Fatality Assessment 

and Control Evaluation Program of the incident. On March 13, 2018, the Kentucky FACE investigator 

conducted a site visit. Photographs of the incident site and witness statements were taken at that time. 

EMPLOYER

The employer was the city police department, which was established in 1918. The department has five 

officers, three of which were on duty the day of the incident. 

WRITTEN SAFETY PROGRAMS and TRAINING

In order to be eligible to apply to the police department, applicants must be at least 21 years old, have no 

felony convictions, possess a valid driver’s license, and be in good moral standing. Once accepted, officers 

must complete 22 weeks of training at the police academy. According to the chief of police, once officers have 

graduated from the academy, new hires receive two weeks of shadowing with the chief and the department 

sergeant. The chief stated the department utilizes an outside agency to conduct a physical agility test and an 

exam for both mental and physical health. Candidates must also appear before a panel for interviewing and 

testing. Drug screens and background checks are performed prior to hiring. The chief of police stated that 

safety programs and policies concerning basic occupational safety and police-specific safety provided by the 

Kentucky State Police were in place for the officers to follow were implemented, but did not provide copies to 

FACE investigators. 

WORKER INFORMATION

The victim was a 45-year-old male police officer who was employed with the police department for five 

months. Prior to his employment, he served as an officer with another police department in a neighboring

town for three and a half years. His regular work shift was 7:00 pm to 7:00 am. 

INCIDENT SCENE

The scene was a roadway at the edge of the city limits within a subdivision with a posted speed limit of 15 

mph. Normally, the road travels through a large field for .2 miles before crossing a bridge over a small creek 

that feeds a major river approximately 1.25 miles to the west. During the rainy season, the creek quickly floods 

from the overspill of the river. At this particular location, bank-full – which is the height of water at a given 

location on the river above where an increase in water will cause the river to overflow the lowest stream 

bank1 – is 37 feet. At the time of this incident, the river was at a flood stage of 46.86 feet. The record high at 

this location was 5/2/2011 when the river reached 54.29 feet2. 
REPORT#: 18KY007 Page 4

Photo 1. Aerial photo of the scene with creek at normal levels. Arrow indicates direction 

of travel; circle indicates where the vehicle entered the water. Photo courtesy of Google 

Earth.

Photo 2. Scene where the victim and his vehicle entered the water.

Photo property of KY FACE.
REPORT#: 18KY007 Page 5

WEATHER

The weather on the day of the incident was approximately 42 degrees Fahrenheit, 57% humidity, and 4.6 mph 

average wind speed3. Weather is believed to have been a factor in this incident. For several days prior to the 

incident, heavy rains inundated the area, causing a major river source that borders the county to overflow and

flood a nearby creek that feeds into the river. The cold air and water temperature may have also hindered the 

officer’s ability to swim once he entered the water. 

INVESTIGATION

On Friday, March 2, 2018, at approximately 9:17 pm, a police officer (the victim) was patrolling a road near the 

end of the city limits, when he drove his vehicle into floodwater that had overtaken the road. The officer 

radioed dispatch that he had driven his 2015 Ford Explorer off the road and needed a tow truck. Dispatch 

stated the officer was calm as he made the initial request. Two minutes later, at 9:19 pm, the officer placed 

another call to dispatch, stating that his vehicle was sinking into the water very quickly and that he needed a 

rescue. The dispatcher stated the officer sounded panicked as he made the second request. A teenage 

witness who lived nearby stated he saw the officer climb onto the top of his vehicle and that the officer told 

him to stay back and not to enter the water. Five minutes after the first call, the water completely submerged

the vehicle. The witness stated he saw the officer jump from the top of the vehicle and into the water, but 

never saw him resurface. Strong currents pulled the victim and his vehicle several hundred feet from where he 

entered the water. At the time of the incident, the victim was wearing his duty belt that weighed 

Photo 3. The flooded field from which the victim and his vehicle were retrieved. 

Search and rescue divers located both approximately 150 yards northwest of the 

marked tree. Photo property of KY FACE.
REPORT#: 18KY007 Page 6

approximately 30 lbs. and a Kevlar vest weighing approximately 10 lbs. The weight of the officer’s equipment 

as well as the shock of entering the cold water likely added to the difficulty of swimming against the current.

When interviewed, the police chief stated he was not sure why the victim was in that area since it had been

flooded for several days due to heavy rain. The victim had worked the night before the incident from 7:00pm

to 7:00am, and the chief felt sure that he was aware of the flooding in that area. When interviewed, the

incident commander stated that because it was a Friday night, and because teenagers frequented the street to

party, the officer might have been patrolling the area to look for underage drinking. As he travelled on the

road, the victim crested a hill and drove approximately 500 feet before his vehicle struck and entered the

water. As water submerged the vehicle, it slowly drifted towards the driver’s side off the road and into the

flooded field. Due to the limited light, it is likely the officer was unaware that the terrain he had entered

quickly sloped downwards, creating a pool of water approximately 12-15 feet deep. 

Additional officers, as well as the Fish and Wildlife rescue dive team were on-site by 9:24 pm, and at 9:33 pm, 

incident command was established. The Fish and Wildlife dive team entered the water and discovered the 

vehicle approximately 150-200 yards from where it had entered the water. The vehicle was discovered on its

side before swift waters rolled the vehicle onto its top. Due to strong underwater currents, the rescue diver

could only dive to a depth of 12 feet at the time, making it difficult to locate the victim. In order to locate the

victim, the dive team had to drag the surrounding area. The dive team worked through the night in an

attempt to recover the victim. At 5:10 am, the officer was located and brought to shore where the coroner on 

the scene pronounced him dead.

CAUSE OF DEATH

According to the death certificate, the cause of death was drowning. 

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS 

Occupational injuries and fatalities are often the result of one or more contributing factors or key events in a 

larger sequence of events that ultimately result in the injury or fatality. Kentucky FACE investigator identified 

the following unrecognized hazards as key contributing factors in this incident: 

• Weather

• Lack of physical barrier to flooded area

• Insufficient roadside lighting

• Possible overdriving of the headlights
REPORT#: 18KY007 Page 7

RECOMMENDATIONS/DISCUSSION

Recommendation #1: County road department should install a roadway sign that warns of quick flooding 

during rain and close the road as quickly as possible with temporary barricades. 

Discussion: When questioned why there were no barriers to prevent vehicles from accessing the area, the 

chief of police stated the reason was that boaters would use the natural downward slope of the road to launch 

their boats into the water while the road was flooded, since the permanent dock for launching was under 

water and inaccessible. At the time of the incident, the only signage warning drivers of floodwaters was a 

permanent sign stating “Water Over Roadway”; however, since the sign was permanent and not removed 

during the dry season, it may have been easy for drivers to become complacent and ignore the sign. After the 

incident, two orange barrels holding a removable sign stating “Road Closed” was placed on the road blocking 

access to the water. The sign, however, was small and lightweight, and a driver could easily move the sign in 

order to obtain access to the water. To prevent all vehicles from entering the flooded area, the county road 

department should consider installing a roadway sign that warns of quick flooding during heavy rains and 

close the road as quickly as possible with temporary barricades when the road becomes impassible. 

Photo 4. Permanent ‘Water Over Roadway’ sign.

Photo property of KY FACE.
REPORT#: 18KY007 Page 8

Recommendation #2: City government should consider installing streetlights approaching the flood plains. 

Discussion: The area had no streetlights or security lights beyond the subdivision making it difficult to see if 

water was over the roadway. Local electric companies were contacted and asked what the requirements or 

guidelines were for installing streetlights. The companies responded that the city government makes the 

determination for where streetlights are used, and once purchased, they could easily be installed wherever 

the city deemed necessary. By installing streetlights or security lights on the approach to the flood plain, 

drivers would be more likely to see if the roadway was flooded. Installation of streetlights or security lights 

also promotes security and increases the safety of pedestrians, particularly that of children who may live and 

play in the area4. 

Recommendation #3: Employers should ensure each employee is aware of areas that flood during rainy 

season.

Discussion: The chief of police stated he personally took new employees around the area and showed them 

the fields that are prone to flooding. Annual retraining and pre-shift meetings reminding employees during 

the rainy months of potential high water areas would refresh employee’s awareness of the potential danger 

during the flooding season and areas to avoid. This is a very small department and the other officers employed 

are very familiar with the areas that flood during the rainy season. The victim was not from the local area and 

this was the first rainy season of his employment. The department should consider placing a map of their 

jurisdiction in a common area of the department that highlights which roads that are closed due to high water 

and task an officer with updating the map as water levels rise and fall.

Photo 5. ‘Road Closed’ sign and barrels added post-incident.

Photo property of KY FACE.
REPORT#: 18KY007 Page 9

Recommendation #4: Employees should never overdrive their vehicle’s headlights.

Discussion: Overdriving headlights is defined: “where a driver is moving at a rate of speed that their stopping 

distance is farther then their headlights, creating a dangerous driving environment5.” The speed of this road 

was 25mph; the officer’s actual speed is unknown.

The 2015 Ford Explorer weighs approximately 4,800 pounds, and if using low beams, a driver would have 180 

feet of vision. If the officer was using the vehicle’s high beams, he would have had 350 feet of vision. At a 

speed of 25 mph, the vehicle was moving at a rate of 36.67 feet per second. If the officer was travelling at the 

speed limit, his thinking distance – the distance the vehicle travels in the time it takes the driver to see the 

hazard, decides to brake and actually apply the brakes and is directly proportional to speed – measured at one 

second was 37 feet. The officer’s braking distance – the distance the vehicle travels while the brakes are 

applied and is proportional to speed squared, was 31 feet. The equates to a total stopping distance of 68 feet6, 

well within the sight of both the vehicle’s high and low beams.

DISCLAIMER

This case report was developed to draw the attention of employers and employees to a serious safety hazard 

and is based on preliminary data only. This publication does not represent final determinations regarding the 

nature of the incident, cause of the injury, or fault of employer, employee, or any party involved.

PROGRAM FUNDING

The Kentucky Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation Program (FACE) is funded by grant 5U60OH008483-14

from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

REFERENCES

1 National Weather Service “High water level terminology”. http://www.weather.gov/aprfc/terminology

2 Historic Data For the Mississippi River

3 “Historical Weather.” Archive. Weather Underground. https://www.wunderground.com/history

4 Street Lighting and Road Safety. https://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/roads/street-lighting/

5 Over Driving Your Headlights. https://policedriver.com/articles/page/4/

6 Calculating Stopping Distance. https://www.random-science-tools.com/physics/stopping-distance.htm
REPORT#: 18KY007 Page 10

INVESTIGATOR INFORMATION

This investigation was conducted by DeAnna McIntosh, Safety Specialist, Fatality Assessment and Control

Evaluation, Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Kentucky, College of Public Health.

ACKNOWLEDGEMEMENT

The Kentucky FACE Program would like to acknowledge the Police Department, Dispatch, the Coroner and the

Incident Commander for their assistance with this report.