A Dale County, Alabama sheriff’s deputy was injured Friday night while responding to storm damage from Hurricane Isaias. The deputy was working a rollover crash and a downed tree on U.S. Highway 231 in Newton when a second tree came down on the scene. It landed on a vehicle, trapping the driver inside, and it struck the deputy as well. The driver was extricated and is doing fine. The deputy’s injuries were minor and they were taken to an area hospital.
Sheriff Mason Bynum described the situation as dangerous and fluid and urged residents to please stay off the roadways, noting that trees are down throughout his jurisdiction. His message echoes what emergency crews along the Suncoast ask for every hurricane season. The hours after a storm passes are often more dangerous than the storm itself, with downed trees, sagging power lines, and flooding that isn’t visible until you’re in it.
For those of us in Sarasota, Manatee, and the surrounding Gulf Coast communities, that advice is easy to brush off until it’s your street. So before the next storm, make the plan now. Wait for the official all-clear, check on your neighbors once it’s safe, and let the crews do their work without traffic to worry about. How do you decide when it’s safe to hit the road after a storm?
