Official: Woman Dies After Being Trapped Inside Car In 3-Feet Of Water
WARREN (WWJ) - A 31-year-old woman has died after being trapped inside her car in more than three-feet of water in Macomb County.
Speaking live on WWJ Newsradio 950 Tuesday morning, Warren Mayor Jim Fouts said the woman died Monday evening amid record-breaking rainfall.
"It probably was storm related," Fouts said. "They found her trapped in her car with three-and-a-half feet of water, so that obviously played a role."
It was later determined that the woman had "died of a seizure" in her car, according to a city of Warren news release.
Her name was not immediately released.
According to The National Weather Service, 5.2 inches of rain fell Monday in Warren, flooding area streets and freeways. Motorists who got stuck on flooded roads ditched their vehicles in search of higher ground while others stayed put, even spending the night in their cars.
Fouts said the storm has left his city in a state of emergency. He described the city as "the epicenter of the disaster."
"In some places the water was five-feet over the road," he said. "There's at least 1,000-plus cars abandoned on the thoroughfares of Warren. Our emergency personnel have been just besieged, overwhelmed with calls."
Things are so bad, Fouts has requested help from the National Guard to assist residents dealing with the aftermath.
"It's going to be a real challenge today. I think it's absolutely important that [Gov. Rick Snyder] get involved with this because of the amount of people affected and the cost, both in terms of people and homes and cars and just the infrastructure damage."
WWJ has also received reports of a man who died after pushing his car through flood water in Oakland County. Authorities said the man was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he died. Further information about the man hasn't been released.
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