Weather

Pleasanton Driver Killed In Kansas, Missouri Flooding

A deputy watched a vehicle try to drive through high standing water on a highway when it hydroplaned and entered a ditch filled with water.

Associated Press's profile picture
Associated Press, News Partner
|
https://test.patch.com/img/cdn20/users/22940811/20170822/050140/styles/raw/public/processed_images/ap17234523180242-1503435498-5069.jpg
https://test.patch.com/img/cdn20/users/22940811/20170822/050140/styles/raw/public/processed_images/ap17234523193320-1503435498-5187.jpg
https://test.patch.com/img/cdn20/users/22940811/20170822/050140/styles/raw/public/processed_images/ap17234623367805-1503435498-2441.jpg

PLEASANTON, MO — A Pleasanton man drowned when floodwaters caused by thunderstorms swept away his car.

The body of Robert Dean Schoenhals was found about 2½ hours after the accident, the Miami County Sheriff's Office said in a release Tuesday. A deputy watched Schoenhals try to drive through high standing water on a highway shortly before 5 a.m. when the car hydroplaned off the roadway and wound up in a ditch with deep, rushing water, authorities said.

The car was found empty less than an hour later about 150 yards from where it entered the water, the Sheriff's Office said. Schoenhals' body was found around 7:30 a.m. about 75 yards from his car.

Find out what's happening in Kansas Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Rain stranded motorists and others who had to scramble to safety atop rooftops.

Flash flood warnings were issued across the area. Police and fire crews planned Monday to go door-to-door in one area of southern Kansas City, asking residents to voluntarily evacuate, local television station KCTV reported.

Find out what's happening in Kansas Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Up to 9 inches of rain fell in one neighborhood, while a large swath around the city saw between 4 and 6 inches of rain, the National Weather Service said. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

In Overland Park, Kansas, the local fire department said it responded to over 16 water assist calls as drivers found themselves stalled in high waters. Water rescues also were conducted on the Missouri side of the metropolitan area, in Kansas City and Riverside.


Photos credit: KCTV5 via AP; Rich Sugg /The Kansas City Star via AP

More from Kansas City