Woman dies when car crosses flooded road, NC cops say. Another person rescued

One person drowned and a second person was found clinging to a tree after heavy rain turned a rural creek into a rushing river, according to the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.

Lisa Michelle Riahi, 49, of Hickory, was found dead more than two miles from where she went into the water, officials said in a news release. The identity of the other person was not released.

It happened around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15, when a vehicle was swept up by flooding in the rural Ellendale community, about 70 miles northwest of Charlotte, officials said.

More than 7.3 inches of rain fell earlier in the day, causing Duck Creek to overflow its banks near the intersection of Duck Creek Drive and Dover Church Road, officials said.

“Dispatch reported two victims. ... Emergency agencies located one victim clinging to a tree off Duck Creek Dr (and) ... deployed a raft to the victim in the tree at approximately (12:15 a.m.),” the sheriff’s office said.

“The search for the second victim continued into the daytime. ... (She) was located deceased around 2.2 miles from the initial incident.”

The woman was swept away after she “jumped out of a vehicle into the water.” Investigators have not said who was driving.

An investigation is ongoing, officials said.

This story was originally published July 17, 2023 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Woman dies when car crosses flooded road, NC cops say. Another person rescued."