Stranded Kalispell couple rescued
<p>Joe Brenneman of the Creston Fire Department and Tara Chapman of Evergreen Fire Rescue escort Barbara Frank from her car on Wednesday afternoon. Barbara and her husband, Brian, were caught in high water along Steel Bridge Road. In the background Kevin Wise and Ben Covington work to winch the car back to dry land. Later Wednesday, the stretch of Steel Bridge Road between addresses 800 and 1475 was closed because of the high water.</p> <p> </p>
A Kalispell couple got more than they bargained for from the flooded Flathead River when they were trying to check in on their son Wednesday.
Brian and Barbara Frank’s vehicle became stranded by high water from the river, which was running slightly above flood stage Wednesday.
They had to be rescued from their predicament by firefighters and sheriff’s deputies.
While headed south on Steel Bridge Road in their Ford Taurus, the Franks came across a flooded portion of the gravel road and decided to risk the crossing. They made it through the water, less than a foot deep.
Their luck didn’t hold up as well, however, when they came across another flooded area just around the bend.
“After going through the first water, we figured it was go through this or turn around,” Brian Frank said. “We got plowing through and the water was coming up. I could feel the tires spinning a little bit and then it killed” the engine.
The car also had veered slightly off the roadway, bringing the front end of the car further down.
Part of the reason for the emergency call was that Barbara, who nearly drowned once as a child, does not know how to swim. Adrenaline and anxiety got the best of her when water started pouring into the floorboard on her side of the car.
When responders arrived, they were able to walk the couple out of the water, which was largely still, and use a winch to retrieve the vehicle.
Later Wednesday, the stretch of Steel Bridge Road between addresses 800 and 1475 was closed because of the high water.
Among the responders was Brian Heino, search and rescue coordinator for the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office. He cautioned motorists about the dangers of driving through floodwaters.
“The majority of the incidents that occur in swift water are in vehicles,” Heino said. “It only takes one foot of fast-moving water [to sweep away a vehicle], and the majority of people stuck in floods that need to be rescued are in cars.”
Heino also warned people who use local waterways for recreation to review water levels and bring protective equipment such as life jackets.
In addition to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Evergreen Fire Rescue and the Creston Fire Department responded to Wednesday’s incident.
Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.