A 13-year-old boy died in Carroll County, Maryland, on Thursday after being swept away by raging floodwaters during evening storms that hit the region.
Spokesman Doug Alexander, with the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company, said first responders were called to the 200 block of Watersville Road near Mount Airy Middle School just before 5:30 p.m.
One of the first responding police officers with the Mount Airy Police Department had attempted to stop the teenager from being pulled into a nearby drainage pipe by the current of the floodwaters, but was unable to do so.
“The water was moving so fast, and it was about waist or chest deep for this police officer,” Alexander said, adding that initial rescue efforts proved difficult even with the assistance of firefighters.
“Two or three of the firefighters went in the water to assist him, and they tried to affect the rescue, but the pressure of the moving water and the small diameter of the pipe made it very difficult for them to affect the rescue.”
The incident prompted a multi-agency response, including divers from nearby volunteer fire departments and first responders from Howard County.
By the time officials were able to get to the teen, he had already drowned.
Alexander said the heavy floodwaters were the result of a bursting stormwater pond located across the street from where the teenager had been near the school. It was the day’s downpour that led to the drainage ditch being overwhelmed.
“The amount of water in there was just tremendous,” he said. “The flow was so great that this child didn’t have a chance to — once he was in it, he couldn’t get out.”
In light of the incident, Alexander is warning the public to ensure children are being supervised anytime they’re around moving water.