Sheriff sees 2 high-water rescues

The Crawford County Sheriff’s Department conducted two rescues that started before the sun rose Thursday.
The first one, three-fourths of a mile east of 70th Street and 510 Avenue near Mulberry started just after 2:30 a.m. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the site where Ryan K. O’Brien, 21, St. Paul, and Albany D. Mattick, 19, Galesburg, were on the roof of their car stranded in flooding water.
The vehicle was westbound on 510 Avenue when the driver, Mattick, came over the top of the hill into the flooded Lightning Creek. The two stranded people weren’t sure of their location, but deputies were able to get a general proximity by tracking their cell phone.
The water was running too quickly to attempt a walk-in rescue, so the Chanute Fire Department Swift Water Rescue Team was called in. At first light, the team launched their rescue boat and retrieved the two stranded people.
Both were cold — they had been on top of the car for about five hours — but uninjured. The car was left at the scene and will be retrieved when the water recedes enough.
The second one occurred three-fourths of a mile west of U.S. Highway 69 on 530 Avenue.
Jan VanDertteul, 58, Netherlands, was driving a Dodge Durango westbound on 530 Avenue when he drove into high water. The vehicle was partially washed off the road. VanDertteul was rescued by Pittsburg Firefighters and was not injured.
Crawford County EMS responded to both incidents. The McCune Fire Department responded to the first one, and the Baker Township Fire Department responded to the second one.
Horton said VanDertteul had only been in Kansas for about 24 hours. He drove his son to work in Girard, then got lost on the way home, Horton said.
“He asked me, ‘Is it like this a lot?’” Horton said. “Well, it’s been like this a lot lately.”

Kevin Flaherty can be reached at kevin.flaherty@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 Ext. 134