Heavy rain and flooding in Tennessee cause tragic incident, leaving parents and child dead after a tree falls onto their car.
In the heart of Tennessee, specifically in the suburb of East Ridge near Chattanooga, a series of dramatic events unfolded in 2025 due to severe weather. The area was hit by heavy rain and flooding, leading to the loss of four lives and numerous harrowing rescues.
Troy Plemons, a communications systems technician, found himself stuck in a bucket truck for two to three hours during the flood. However, his skills were put to good use when he helped rescue a woman from an SUV that was being lifted by floodwater. Using a boring bit, he managed to break the window and save her from certain danger.
The flooding caught authorities off guard, but they swiftly sprang into action. Chattanooga Fire crews rescued people trapped in vehicles and residents stuck in their homes. Swiftwater rescue teams were particularly active, rescuing residents of three East Ridge homes trapped by rising floodwaters.
The rescue efforts involved moving people ranging from babies to seniors. One particularly heart-wrenching incident saw a tree fall on a car in the Chattanooga suburb of East Ridge, resulting in the deaths of a mother, father, and child.
The heavy rain and flooding led to over 940 emergency calls between 6 p.m. and midnight during the incident. First responders carried people on their backs through the water and placed them on the raised highway divider. Anderson Stout witnessed the rescue of a woman from a submerging vehicle in just three minutes.
Lawson Electric's workers, Austin Camp and Brandon Shadwick, coordinated with Plemons and authorities to help move between 25 and 35 people. Flooding closed parts of Interstate 24, but it reopened once floodwaters receded.
Mayor Wamp toured East Ridge and reported that while there was a tragic loss of life, the property and infrastructure damage was not as bad as initially feared. The National Weather Service had issued a flood watch for middle Tennessee, warning of scattered flash flooding and the possibility of training storms. Chattanooga's airport recorded over 6.4 inches (about 16 centimeters) of rain Tuesday, the second-wettest day on record for the city.
As the community recovers from this tragic event, the focus remains on the lives lost and the heroic efforts of the first responders who worked tirelessly to save lives during the flood.
- The car accident in East Ridge, a suburb of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was one of the multiple general news stories that emerged from the severe weather events in 2025.
- Amidst the chaos of the flood, Troy Plemons, a communications systems technician, not only survived being stranded in a bucket truck but also saved a woman from an SUV, using his skills to break the vehicle's window.
