FENTON, Mo. – Flooding is still causing issues for drivers around the St. Louis area following heavy rainfall earlier this week. Water over the road in one area forced emergency crews to respond again Friday afternoon.
It was a tough break for the driver, who was trying to leave work near World Wide Technology Soccer Park, when his car stalled in standing water along the Meramec River.
Mark Hartmann with Hartmann’s Towing had to come fish the Chevy out in the murky water.
“Yeah, it’s definitely chilly—and not the cleanest, either,” Hartmann joked.
Hartmann said they’d pulled a couple dozen cars out of floodwaters this week alone. And it’s been costly for drivers.
“They most likely total them just because once they get to the electrical system, it usually fries the computers,” Hartmann added.
We spotted an abandoned semi truck deeper in the floodwaters. Longtime truck driver Leann Williams said water over the road is nothing to take lightly.
“I would suggest to everybody, if you see water on the road, turn around and don’t go through it,” she said.
The Fenton Fire Protection District responded to the stalled car incident Friday. Lt. Nathan Miller said unfortunately, they see cases like this often during this time of the year.
“I think people get frustrated with traffic backing up, and they think, ‘Oh, I can probably make it through with my vehicle.’ And a lot of times, it’s just not the case. You really don’t know how deep the water is,” Miller said.
Miller said it doesn’t take much – less than a foot, in fact – for your car to stall-out.
His advice?
“The big thing is, follow the signs, use common sense, turn around and don’t drown,” Miller said.