Friday, November 8, 2024 – An elderly couple in Missouri died on their way to work the polls together on Election Day.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to reports of
three vehicles being carried off the roadway on State Route H near Beaver Creek
in Wright County at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
According to the highway patrol's press release, the
organization deployed its marine officers to the scene and received assistance
from agents from the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Wight County
Sheriff's Office to begin rescue operations.
Three individuals from two vehicles escaped the floodwaters
by swimming to shore. Riding in the third vehicle was the elderly couple, a
70-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman from Manes, Miss., who were found
deceased at approximately 8:45 a.m.
In a separate statement, the Wright County Sheriff's
Office said the pair were "recovered quickly" from the area using the
Wright County drone piloted by one of its sheriffs.
The sheriff's department added that the area experienced
"extreme flooding in low-water areas and bridges" throughout the
"evening hours of November 4th and early morning hours of November
5th."
"There were several vehicle slide offs due to
hydroplaning and simply because places flooded that generally don't flood!
Wright County had six swift water incidents that resulted in two
fatalities," the statement added.
In a statement obtained by local news
outlets KOLR and KYTV, Wright County Clerk Loni Pedersen said
that the elderly couple's names would not be released "out of respect and
privacy to the family."
"As reported by the Wright County Sheriff this loss of
life occurred as a result of swift, high water from the storms that came
through the area the night before. This is a tragic loss for Wright
County," the statement continued.
Pedersen remembered the couple as "dedicated citizens
who valued fair and honest elections" and "will be missed."
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