UPDATE: THP identifies the driver whose car went into Parksville Lake
From Local 3 News: UPDATE: The Tennessee Highway Patrol has identified the driver as 46-year-old Michele L. Lorino.
The THP says that Lorino’s 2019 Toyota Camry, traveling eastbound, went off the right side of US-64, where it hit a rock wall and guardrail which sent the vehicle airborne and into Parksville Lake.
The vehicle was recovered Saturday.
PREVIOUS STORY: Polk County Sheriff Steve Ross says crews recovered the vehicle from Lake Ocoee Saturday afternoon.
Authorities say there was one body inside.
PREVIOUS STORY: A devastating incident at Lake Ocoee leaves Polk County officials with many unanswered questions after an hours-long investigation came up empty.
Earlier Friday afternoon, authorities responded to a tip saying a car had hit a guardrail and plummeted into the lake below. The search for the vehicle is currently an ongoing investigation, and they say they plan to resume rescue efforts at 8:00am Saturday.
So, where, exactly, could this car be, and why is it so hard to find?
“The problem is, it’s a real steep lake, and depending upon where the car floated before it went completely underwater, we’ve got probably three square miles it could be at,†says Clay Ingle, County Special Task and Rescue Service.
Clay says they take certain precautions when conducting search and rescue operations, and Lake Ocoee has some characteristics that make it even more difficult.
“Well, it goes to 102 feet, we know…so we’ve got to be careful,†Ingle says. “We can’t just drop divers in there, because if they’re diving at a hundred feet, they’ve got like five minutes in the water before they have to decompress so they don’t get nitrogen sickness.â€
There are many factors these crews have to take into consideration, like diver running low on oxygen and running out of daylight.
“We had to shut down today because we have a live river here that we’ve got to keep flowing water, and if not, then all the wildlife will die,†Ingle says. “Plus, it’s going to be dark, and dark depth is dangerous.â€
Search and rescue operations were full-force Friday, and they plan to do the same Saturday.
“We’ve probably put ten divers in the water. We had six boats out here at one time–the time I was told. It’s man-power heavy,†Ingle says. “We’re probably going to have five or six boats out tomorrow. We’re gonna have two different dive teams here and one to two ROV’s–it’s very man-power heavy.â€
People are urged to stay away from the scene heavy traffic on both the water and land can interfere with the investigation.
“It makes it dangerous for the rescuers on the shore,†Ingle says. “Don’t come out in your boats because it’s going to–one–take up our space we need to park our trailer for our rescue boats, and you’re going to encroach–try to encroach–where our rescue divers are at.â€
The THP says that Lorino’s 2019 Toyota Camry, traveling eastbound, went off the right side of US-64, where it hit a rock wall and guardrail which sent the vehicle airborne and into Parksville Lake.
The vehicle was recovered Saturday.
PREVIOUS STORY: Polk County Sheriff Steve Ross says crews recovered the vehicle from Lake Ocoee Saturday afternoon.
Authorities say there was one body inside.
PREVIOUS STORY: A devastating incident at Lake Ocoee leaves Polk County officials with many unanswered questions after an hours-long investigation came up empty.
Earlier Friday afternoon, authorities responded to a tip saying a car had hit a guardrail and plummeted into the lake below. The search for the vehicle is currently an ongoing investigation, and they say they plan to resume rescue efforts at 8:00am Saturday.
So, where, exactly, could this car be, and why is it so hard to find?
“The problem is, it’s a real steep lake, and depending upon where the car floated before it went completely underwater, we’ve got probably three square miles it could be at,†says Clay Ingle, County Special Task and Rescue Service.
Clay says they take certain precautions when conducting search and rescue operations, and Lake Ocoee has some characteristics that make it even more difficult.
“Well, it goes to 102 feet, we know…so we’ve got to be careful,†Ingle says. “We can’t just drop divers in there, because if they’re diving at a hundred feet, they’ve got like five minutes in the water before they have to decompress so they don’t get nitrogen sickness.â€
There are many factors these crews have to take into consideration, like diver running low on oxygen and running out of daylight.
“We had to shut down today because we have a live river here that we’ve got to keep flowing water, and if not, then all the wildlife will die,†Ingle says. “Plus, it’s going to be dark, and dark depth is dangerous.â€
Search and rescue operations were full-force Friday, and they plan to do the same Saturday.
“We’ve probably put ten divers in the water. We had six boats out here at one time–the time I was told. It’s man-power heavy,†Ingle says. “We’re probably going to have five or six boats out tomorrow. We’re gonna have two different dive teams here and one to two ROV’s–it’s very man-power heavy.â€
People are urged to stay away from the scene heavy traffic on both the water and land can interfere with the investigation.
“It makes it dangerous for the rescuers on the shore,†Ingle says. “Don’t come out in your boats because it’s going to–one–take up our space we need to park our trailer for our rescue boats, and you’re going to encroach–try to encroach–where our rescue divers are at.â€
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