LINCOLN COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18)- Lincoln County Crews made an incredible water rescue on Saturday night. Three people almost drowned when their car was swept off the road into a swift-moving creek.
One of the victims of the incident spoke with LEX 18’s Alexa Helwig to describe the emotional experience.
“I’ve had some close calls, but that was probably the closest I’ve ever been to drowning,” Kevin Tackett told LEX 18.
A rush of floodwater put Tackett, his girlfriend, and her mother in a terrifying situation.
Monday was the first time that Kevin returned to Frog Branch Road since Saturday night. He almost didn’t recognize the area, because it had been covered in water Saturday.
Tackett says that he was driving up to the bridge when his car was overtaken with water. They floated off the road and down the hill.
The car slowly became submerged in the water.
“We immediately got windows open and doors open to get out before it started sinking. The doors were too far down to open. We got out of the car and just holding on, but it was drifting that way,” said Tackett.
Luckily, Kevin and his girlfriend were able to grab onto it and pull themselves up, but her mom was stuck standing on the roof of the car.
“I told her (his girlfriend) to not let go off the bridge. I said, ‘you keep holding on,'” Tackett recalled.
The ordeal lasted nearly 45 minutes and that rush of emotions finally settled down when crews were able to rescue his girlfriend’s mother from the water.
The car was swept away almost immediately after.
