HOUSTON COUNTY: 07:30 AM Houston County 911 dispatched Houston County Sheriff Deputies and Rehobeth Fire – Rescue to a motor vehicle crash on Highway 231 South, south of the National Peanut Festival. The call was dispatched as a two vehicle accident. Calls were flooding into Houston County and Dothan 911.
Houston County 911 immediately updated one vehicle was reported in the creek, upside down, occupied and entrapped. This activated multiple unit response, rapidly. In addition to Houston County Sheriff and Rehobeth Fire – Rescue, Dothan Fire Department was mutual aid requested.
Houston County Sheriff Deputies Bennefield, Gibbs and Lee arrived and immediately stripped from gun belts, bullet proof vests and equipment and into the water. A nurse had stopped and entered the water. Rehobeth Fire – Rescue Chief Nick Floyd arrived as the deputies arrived and entered the water. One person was extricated from the wreckage and was not breathing. CPR was immediately initiated, The officers and others who had arrived had to get the patient up the high embankment. The patient was loaded into Rehobeth FIre – Rescue ambulance, a Dothan paramedic joined the Rehobeth Paramedic’s and transported, trauma alert to Southeast Health.
As best as possible the emergency responders searched to see if a second person was in the vehicle. But they were unable to make complete access to the vehicle underwater.
It appears the vehicle that went into the creek was northbound on Highway 231, crossed the southbound striking a truck and down the embankment and overturning in the creek. This creek is hard to see but is just south of National Peanut Festival. almost directly across from Jubilee Homes on the southside of Highway 231 south.
Dothan Fire set up flumes downstream as the wrecker was to remove the vehicle from the water so oil and gas would be trapped and not flow down the creek.
RSN is not sure if the person in the other vehicle was transported. He did have some bleeding from the head.
ALEA Trooper Sapp is in charge of the accident investigation. Houston County Sheriff Captain James Ivey, Captain Donnovan Arias, Lt. Simmons, Sgt. Nowell, were some of the officers on the scene. Multiple Dothan Fireman, Batallion Chief, Deputy Chief Pete Webb and others were on the scene, as was Rehobeth Fire – Rescue members to include Todd Phillips, Chief Nick Floyd and Hodgesville Volunteer Fire Chief Beau Deathridge.
This was a call “all hands on deck”. The Houston County Sheriff Deputies did not hestiate to shed equipment and hit the cold water. At 9:56 AM it is 69 degrees so the water was much colder. No one knew the nurses name but the emergency responders gave her great praises because she never hesitated to enter water and was great assistance. There were a few more with wet clothes.
Emergency workers on the scene are working to remove the vehicle from the water.
UPDATED @ 11:22 AM
Law Enforcement made contact with the family of the person in the vehicle that was in the water. Subject was alone so no one else in vehicle.
