Two female mental-health patients in South Carolina have drowned after the transport van, where they were being held flooded on Tuesday.
The women, who have been identified as 45-year-old Windy Newton, and 43-year-old Nicolette Green, were being transported to McLeod Health, a nearby medical facility, from Loris Hospital and Waccamaw Center for Mental Health in Horry County. They were shackled inside the transport van being driven by two sheriffs.
Officials had warned people not to drive into standing or moving floodwaters in the days since Florence came ashore on the North Carolina coast as a Category 1 hurricane and swamped the Carolinas. They also said that many fatal victims of hurricanes or tropical storms die by drowning.
At least 36 deaths have been blamed on Florence or its aftermath, with most of the deaths in North Carolina.
The Horry County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on Wednesday which said: “Officers were transporting Green and Newton following involuntary commitments by a physician.”
Although the full details have yet to emerge pending the completed investigation of these tragic deaths, there’s speculation that the sheriffs may have driven around barricades.
A statement released from the Horry Country Sheriff’s Office stated: “When the van became overcome by flood waters from Hurricane Florence, the two deputies tried to free the women but were unable to because of the fast-rising waters. The deputies climbed to the top of the van where they were rescued by a high water team, while the women remained trapped and chained in the flooded van. As of 8:45 p.m. last night, flood conditions prevented officials from removing the van.”
So these two deputies thought it was a better idea to leave two women chained in a van to face certain death versus at least trying to get the two women on top of the van with them And since the dead can’t speak, who can say for certain that these sheriffs even tried to help these women
Horry County Sheriff Phillip Thompson elaborated more on the drownings: “Obviously it appears that they did. My question is, I want to know why. What were the circumstances and what happened at that particular time. We’re sorry. We take a lot of pride in what we do. We work hard to protect and to serve our citizens, and we’re just so very sorry that this event has taken place.”
That “hard work” went right out the window that fateful night.
Nicolette Green’s daughter- Rose Hershberger; 19, talked about her mother’s schizophrenia diagnosis and how trusting her mom was.
The obviously distraught but well-composed, Hershberger, said: “I feel very upset and kind of betrayed, because my mom was a very, very trusting person. And she still put her trust in the deputies that were supposed to take care of her and made sure she got there safely, and the fact that they were able to get out but my mom and the other woman wasn’t makes me feel really like hurt and betrayed by them!”
She continued: “We were all going to watch movies together. In my head, it’s hard for me to accept the fact that my mom is now dead.”
