TRIADELPHIA, W.Va. — Two Wheeling area creeks turned into raging rivers Sunday night claiming a man’s life while authorities continued Monday to search for a second victim.
“Browns Run into Peters Run which dumps into Wheeling Creek–it was raging,” Ohio County Sheriff Tom Howard said Monday on MetroNews “Talkline.” “It was over the banks and where it goes under (Route) 40 it was starting to back up. It was almost like we had a micro-burst move through and it dumped a lot of rain very quickly.”
Michael Alan Grow, 24, of Browns Run, was driving a van and his 19-year-old girlfriend was the passenger. The vehicle hit the high water and overturned into Browns Run, Howard said.
“He was coming around one of the turns and he tried to get through some water that didn’t appear to be too bad but it was actually rather deep and just took his van right off of the road,” Howard said.
Sheriff Howard and his chief deputy got a call about the wreck at around 9:30 p.m. He said the water had taken Grow to Peters Run Road where the sheriff and his chief deputy spotted him.
“We pulled him out of the water and we started doing CPR on him until EMS could get to him,” Howard said. Grow was pronounced dead a short time later at Wheeling Hospital.
The search started Sunday night and continued Monday for the 19-year-old woman.
“We’re trying to stay positive but unfortunately we are probably looking at a recovery situation,” Howard said.
There was localized storm damage in the general Elm Grove-Triadelphia area.
“There were trees across the road–all kinds of debris across the road, blocking roads. A couple of bridges got taken out (on Browns Run). We have emergency plans to get to those people in a couple of trailer parks if we need to get to them,” Howard said.
The state Division of Highways began clean-up efforts Monday morning.