THEY ARE STILL UNDER WATER: Coroner identifies two patients killed after transport van drives through flood waters
by SUMMER DASHE, WPDE
Tuesday, September 18th 2018
Two mental health patients have been killed after the HCSO transport van they were in was overcome with flood waters, according to an Horry County official in South Carolina.
Marion County Coroner Jerry Richardson said the van was still in the water as of 8:45 p.m. on Pee Dee Island Road just off of Highway 76.
Richardson identified the two patients as Windy Newton, 45, of Shallotte, NC and Nicolette Green, 43, of Myrtle Beach.
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday morning.
The deputies in the van were rescued and taken to the hospital, according to our source, but the patients were chained in the back of the van.
Deputy Sheriff Tom Fox was on scene. He said the victims were mental health patients being taken from a Loris Hospital and Waccamaw Center for Mental Health to McLeod Health.
Fox said the van was headed west on 76 into Marion County when it was overcome with flood waters.
Original reports were that the two victims were inmates, but officials have since clarified they were patients at nearby mental hospitals.
State police were on the way to the scene, according to Thom Berry with SLED.
He said the regional agents were called to the Nichols area for an incident involving an Horry County Sheriff's van.
Many of the roads in that area are closed because of flooding.
The Horry County Sheriff's Office released the following statement Tuesday night:
A Horry County Sheriff’s Office transportation vehicle was involved in a high-water incident tonight. The vehicle, staffed by two Horry County Sheriff’s Office deputies, was transporting two detainees from Conway to Darlington. The vehicle was traveling west on Highway 76 around ½ mile from the Little Pee Dee River when the vehicle was overtaken by flood waters.
The two deputies attempted to extricate the persons being transported. Despite persistent and ongoing efforts, floodwater rose rapidly and the deputies were unable to open the doors to reach the individuals inside the van. High water rescue teams arrived and were able to rescue the two deputies from the top of the van. At this time, the recovery effort is ongoing, and the transportation vehicle cannot be removed due to rising waters and dangerous conditions.
The two individuals being transported were confirmed dead by the Marion County Coroner. This incident is being investigated by the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
Horry County Sheriff Phillip Thompson stated, "Tonight's incident is a tragedy. Just like you, we have questions we want answered. We are fully cooperating with the State Law Enforcement Division to support their investigation of this event."
On Wednesday, Thompson sent out this statement:
Last night, we had a tragedy. Two individuals being transported by our HCSO van were involved in a high-water incident and died. Our deputies were driving the vehicle when it was swept away by floodwaters.
According to the Marion County Coroner, the deceased individuals are Windy Newton, 45, of Shallotte, NC and Nicolette Green, 43, of Myrtle Beach. The incident took place in Marion County.
We are currently working with the SCDNR to recover the vehicle. Due to dangerous conditions and rising waters, additional search and rescue teams are arriving to assist in the recovery of the vehicle.
We are working hand-in-hand with the State Law Enforcement Division to cooperate in this investigation. Two additional investigations including a traffic investigation and an internal investigation are taking place.
As I mentioned, we have as many questions, this is the very reason SLED and internal agencies are established. The officers involved in the incident are placed on administrative leave.
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2 mental health patients chained in back of sheriff's van drown as cops saved
CHRIS FRANCESCANI
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Two female mental patients chained in the back of a county sheriff's van drowned when the vehicle in which they were traveling was overcome by floodwaters, police said.
The deputies who were transporting the two women to a different facility in South Carolina were saved, local law enforcement officials told ABC News late Tuesday.
The two women have not yet been identified.
The pair of Horry County Sheriff's deputies who were in the van tried to extricate the patients, but, due to rapidly rising floodwaters, were unable to open the van's doors to reach the shackled women, according to a statement from County Sheriff Phillip Thompson. Rescue teams responded in time to save the deputies.
The coroner in neighboring Marion County confirmed the two deceased patients were female, and the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the incident, according to the statement.
"Tonight's incident is a tragedy," Thompson said in the statement. "Just like you, we have questions we want answered. We are fully cooperating with the State Law Enforcement Division to support their investigation of this event."
According to ABC affiliate WPDE, the patients were being transported from Loris Hospital Waccamaw Center for Mental Health to McLeod Health, which runs multiple facilities in the region.
The van was traveling west on Highway 76 into neighboring Marion County when floodwaters overcame the vehicle.
The incident happened in the area of the Little Pee Dee River, which branches off from the Lumber River, in Mullins, South Carolina. The Lumber River overflowed its banks following the record rains dumped by Hurricane Florence.
ABC News' Louise Simpson contributed to this report.
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MARION COUNTY, SC (WMBF) -
A Horry County Sheriff's Office van was swept away in flood waters Tuesday night near Nichols resulting in two female mental health detainees drowning in the Little Pee Dee River, according to officials.
According to Marion County Coroner Jerry Richardson, the victims have been identified as Windy Newton, 45 of Shallotte, NC, and Nicolette Green, 43, of Myrtle Beach. Richardson says the women were being transported from a hospital in Horry County to medical facilities in Florence and Darlington.
On Wednesday, Horry County Sheriff Phillip Thompson announced the officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave.
WMBF News reporter Patrick Lloyd was first on scene and saw a heavy emergency response presence that consisted of the Horry County Sheriff's Office, Marion Sheriff's Office, the National Guard, and many other agencies.
A press release from the Horry County Sheriffs Office said:
A Horry County Sheriff’s Office transportation vehicle was involved in a high-water incident tonight. The vehicle, staffed by two Horry County Sheriff’s Office deputies, was transporting two detainees from Conway to Darlington. The vehicle was traveling west on Highway 76 around ½ mile from the Little Pee Dee River when the vehicle was overtaken by flood waters.
The two deputies attempted to extricate the persons being transported. Despite persistent and ongoing efforts, floodwater rose rapidly and the deputies were unable to open the doors to reach the individuals inside the van. High water rescue teams arrived and were able to rescue the two deputies from the top of the van. At this time, the recovery effort is ongoing, and the transportation vehicle cannot be removed due to rising waters and dangerous conditions.
The two individuals being transported were confirmed dead by the Marion County Coroner. This incident is being investigated by the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
Horry County Sheriff Phillip Thompson stated, "Tonight's incident is a tragedy. Just like you, we have questions we want answered. We are fully cooperating with the State Law Enforcement Division to support their investigation of this event."
According to information from the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the portion of Highway 76 in the Nichols area was closed Tuesday night and had been closed for some time.
The SCDOT added the driver of the vehicle had to go around a barrier to get stuck where they were.
The Little Pee Dee River reached major flood stage after Hurricane Florence battered the Carolinas over the weekend and is expected to crest at 16 feet on September 21, seven feet higher than flood stage.
Thompson released a statement Wednesday that read:
Last night, we had a tragedy. Two individuals being transported by our HCSO van were involved in a high-water incident and died. Our deputies were driving the vehicle when it was swept away by floodwaters.
According to the Marion County Coroner, the deceased individuals are Windy Newton, 45, of Shallotte, NC and Nicolette Green, 43, of Myrtle Beach.
The incident took place in Marion County.
We are currently working with the SCDNR to recover the vehicle. Due to dangerous conditions and rising waters, additional search and rescue teams are arriving to assist in the recovery of the vehicle.
We are working hand-in-hand with the State Law Enforcement Division to cooperate in this investigation. Two additional investigations including a traffic investigation and an internal investigation are taking place.
As I mentioned, we have as many questions, this is the very reason SLED and internal agencies are established.
The officers involved in the incident are placed on administrative leave.