Woman Injured, Dog Dead After Vehicle Falls 10 Feet Below Road

A Seminole County woman was left battered and bruised, and her dog killed, after her vehicle plummeted several feet through a washed-out road.

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Heartbroken and left without a car she told News 9 she’s lucky to be alive. 

Lindsey Pruitt’s car was swallowed up early Tuesday morning after the gravel road was compromised in Monday night’s torrential downpour. Tons of gravel and a larger tin horn were brought in to repair the road.

Lindsey Pruitt rode out Monday's storms in her mother's shelter. “When David Payne predicts bad weather, you listen up,” said Seminole County resident Lindsey Pruitt.

After the storms passed, she began driving back to her trailer when disaster struck. “Next thing I know I woke up to my mom screaming my name over the speaker,” said Pruitt.

Her car disappeared ten feet below where the road once stood. “I heard the water rushing. There was water inside my car at that time,” said Pruitt.

Lindsey checked on her dogs Banjo and Joleen. “I see Joleen all over the backseat and I knew something was wrong. I checked for her pulse,” said Pruitt. 

Her beloved Rottweiler Lab was gone. “She was my protector. She was his best friend,” said Pruitt.

Lindsey climbed out of her crumpled car.

She used her phone’s flashlight to flag down emergency responders. “Standing straight up on my car, I put my arm all the way up so they can see me,” said Pruitt.

Seminole District 2 County commissioner Tim Porter said two other roads washed out the same night--after tin horns filled with debris prevented water from moving through, “You take on weather event it floods the ditches like that,” said Porter.               

But Lindsey and other county residents like Jerry Reed believe road maintenance is to blame. “It didn’t just happen overnight. I’ve lived here for 45 years and I cannot get my road bar ditches maintained,” said Seminole County District 2 Commissioner Tim Porter.

Porter says the county is aware of the repairs needed. “We don’t have enough in our budget to do what we need to do,” said Porter,        

“He may only have so much money to work with and that’s all he can do, but it sure needs to be fixed. I know that, ” said Reed. 

Lindsey’s vehicle was totaled in the incident. County officials tell News 9 that Lindsey will likely have to file a tort claim to be reimbursed for damages.