CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) –Rain from Tropical Storm Elsa caused flooding across Central Virginia Thursday evening. Chesterfield County saw significant flooding, trapping drivers in some cases.
One such driver is Tavoris Marks, whose car got stuck on Osborne Road in Chester while he was out picking up some dinner. Marks said he took Osborne Road to avoid traffic.
He told 8News that he approached some standing water in the road, but it didn’t look like it was too bad, so he “crept in a little bit.” However, he quickly realized the water was too deep.
“As they say, ‘turn around, don’t drown,” he recounted to 8News. “As I’m turning around and I’m telling the other vehicles to go back, the backside of my vehicle just glided to the side of the ditch and got in deeper and deeper water.”
That is when Marks opened his driver’s door and the water rushed in.
“I was like ‘I gotta get out of here — get out of here fast,” he said.
While this was unfortunate for his brand new car, Marks said he’s just grateful that he got out okay. After this experience, Marks has a message for other drivers out there.
“We can replace materialistic things, but you can’t replace a life,” he said. “So I would advise people, even if the rain is letting up a little bit, don’t come out here — even for dinner.”