Car Stalls in Water

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Four occupants of a car that drove into high water and stalled on Kimmel Blacktop northeast of Du Quoin were safe and sound when Du Quoin Fire Department personnel, sheriff's deputies and EMTs arrived at the scene.

The Du Quoin Fire Department got the Emergency 911 call at approximately 5:30 a.m. this morning after high waters from the Little Muddy River covered a section of Kimmel Road at the river bridge just east of Thompson Road.

When firemen arrived, they found driver Dinah Bates, sister Michelle Clark and their parents, Walter and Lois Clark uninjured. Mrs. Clark was taken to Marshall Browning Hospital for observation because of complaints of hip and knee pain from an existing condition.

A four-wheel drive vehicle was driven up to the vehicle. The occupants were transferred to that vehicle, then driven to high ground.

The Bates vehicle was then towed out of the water.

The vehicle had simply stalled out when it hit the water. The assistance was given during the coldest, windiest morning of the year.

Firemen say it was almost impossible to see the water over the road at that early hour.