Motorist Stranded in a Tree Is Rescued
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GALENA, Kan. — A motorist whose car was swept away in floodwaters from the Spring River was rescued Wednesday after spending the night in a tree.
Howard Stout, 39, of Galena, tried to drive through high water late Tuesday, said Bill Lyerla, a Cherokee County deputy sheriff.
“We had barricades up but he apparently drove around them,” Lyerla said. “That’s what barricades are for. I don’t imagine he’d do it again.”
He said Stout “told us he came close to drowning but managed to get out,” grabbed a tree branch and pulled himself to safety from water that Lyerla estimated was 18 to 20 feet deep.
A farmer heard Stout yelling for help Wednesday, and he was rescued by Galena firefighters, Lyerla said. He added that Stout’s car had not been found.
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