Sumner County deputy's patrol vehicle swept away after motorists bypass road closure barricades

WELLINGTON, Kan. — A Sumner County Sheriff's deputy had to be rescued by fellow officers after his patrol vehicle hydroplaned and was swept into a flooded field while responding to two vehicles that had already bypassed road closure barricades in the area, according to a Facebook post from the Sumner County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office did not specify the date of the incident in its post, published Monday.

The incident began when two vehicles drove around two separate sets of "Road Closed" barricades and entered a flooded roadway while traveling north, according to the sheriff's office. The first vehicle hydroplaned and was pushed into a ditch on the east side of the road. The second vehicle spun out and was swept into a ditch and field to the west by fast-moving floodwaters, becoming completely submerged. According to a witness cited by the sheriff's office, the driver of that vehicle never exited.

Three deputies and personnel from Wellington Fire/EMS responded to the scene, the sheriff's office said. The first two patrol vehicles approached from the north and avoided the floodwaters, stopping safely in the southbound lane. The third patrol vehicle was unable to avoid the flooded area, hydroplaned, and was swept into the same field as the submerged vehicle.

Fellow deputies formed a human chain and pulled the deputy from the water to safety, according to the post. Despite the close call, the deputies immediately returned their attention to the original emergency, watching their own patrol vehicle disappear beneath the floodwaters as they continued working the scene.

The driver of the first vehicle was not injured and received a citation. The sheriff's office did not detail the condition or fate of the driver of the second vehicle, which became submerged, but described the outcome as a tragedy.

"This tragedy could have been prevented," the sheriff's office said in its post, adding that road closure signs and barricades are placed to protect motorists from hazards that may not be visible until it is too late, and that driving around them risks not only the motorist's life but also the lives of law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel and other first responders.

The sheriff's office urged the public to respect road closure signs, saying no destination is worth risking one's life or the lives of those who respond to help.

Photos accompanying the original post show the deputy's patrol vehicle heavily damaged and mud-covered after being pulled from the field.

Source: Sumner County Sheriff's Office, Facebook post