BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. — North Carolina State Highway Patrol said an 80-year-old man died in floodwaters after torrential rain hit the coast early Tuesday morning.
Troopers responded to a collision involving a submerged vehicle just after midnight on NC-211 near Stone Chimney Road in Brunswick County.
Troopers said the man drove around stationary sheriff's office patrol cars and into high water. The patrol cars had blue lights activated as the roadway had become impassable due to flooding at the Lockwood Folly River Bridge, according to a release.
A swift-water team tried to find the vehicle but was unsuccessful. The sheriff's office Dive Team returned to the river the next day and found the vehicle with the driver, Richard Walton Robinson, dead inside. He was from Southport.
Investigators said neither alcohol nor speed were factors.
Gov. Roy Cooper issued a state of emergency for southeastern North Carolina. The deluge washed away many roads and bridges.
