WEST RIVER ROAD FLOODS

AFTER LORAIN MAN SLAMS HYDRANT

Elyria – Residents on West River Road North have been able to get through the last couple weeks of heavy rain and snow with no water damage to their homes. Then comes the man from Lorain who says he didn’t know you couldn’t turn left out of the Circuit City Parking lot onto West River.

Carl Sloan was driving northbound on West River when he saw the man pull out of the parking lot. “We were just crossing the Turnpike bridge when we saw him – He made this really wide turn and at a high rate of speed too. I think he just wasn’t able to control the car and he drove right into the fire plug.”

Sloan said that unlike in the movies where water shoots 50 feet into the air after someone clips a fireplug, the water was just bubbling up a couple feet.
Even though the water was not shooting high into the air, hundreds of gallons of water was rushing out of the broken hydrant each minute. Most of the water was flooding the roadway while a stream was flowing between the two yards near the hydrant. One resident we spoke to said her basement was taking on water. The extent of water or damage was not known.

These two guys didn’t let a little car crash or minor flooding interrupt their basketball game. Not sure who won.

Elyria Police Officers had to close the curb lanes due to the high water and direct traffic through the center lanes of West River. Officers had to be alert to cars driving too fast through the scene as well as getting splashed by the cars.

An employee from the City Water Department was able to find the shut off and bring the flooding to an end.

Officers cited the driver, who was in no mood to speak to the media, at the scene. The area where the fireplug was struck was barricaded and the street was cleaned up and completely reopened by 10 PM.

To see more photos from the scene: CLICK HERE