ROGGEN, Colo. – A person was killed after the car they were driving was swept away by floodwaters in Colorado.
The Weld County Sheriff’s Office responded about 9 a.m. Friday to county roads 73 and 16 after a car was found floating in the water with a driver inside the car.
“The occupant of the car drove past the roadblocks that are there to prevent vehicles from entering the dangerous floodwaters in the area,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Melissa Chesmore said in a release.
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The occupant of the car was pulled out of the water by witnesses on the scene. Life-saving measures were administered, but the person did not survive. The Weld County coroner said they would release the victim’s identity at a later time.
Neighboring officers in Keenesburg responded as well to assist deputies with the dangerous floodwaters. One of their patrol vehicles was also washed away by the rushing waters. The officer was able to get out of the vehicle and was uninjured.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they said they were unable to man the road barricades due to rescuing drivers going around the barricades and into the floodwaters.
In total, there were six vehicles submerged into floodwaters, six human rescues, and five police dog rescues performed by deputies on Friday.
“Drivers have been disregarding these barricades and going around them because although the road appears to be clear just beyond the barricades, within a mile after the barricades the road is washed out, and as a result vehicles have got swept away by the river,” Chesmore said.
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A deputy is currently stationed in a vehicle just past the barricade to help slow drivers down and prevent them from going into the water.
A request to have Colorado Department of Transportation install hard barriers at the location has been requested to prevent drivers from going around them.