Trooper Brock Buchanan received a Commendation Award earlier today at the annual Indiana State Police Spring Awards Ceremony held at the Indiana Government Center in Indianapolis.
On February 4 at approximately 1:00 a.m., multiple emergency crews were dispatched to a vehicle in the Wabash River, west of Oaktown. Trooper Buchanan was on-duty in the area and immediately responded. Buchanan is also a certified diver and on the Indiana State Police South SCUBA Team. Although two men were able to escape from the vehicle after it plunged into the Wabash River, their wives were not able to and they both drowned. It was determined that this was a recovery incident and members of the Indiana State Police SCUBA Team were called to the scene to begin operations. Senior Trooper Mike Taylor from the Putnamville District, Trooper Chris Lockman from the Seymour District and Trooper Dustin Whitaker from the Sellersburg District also responded to the scene.
The weather conditions were horrible with freezing rain and snow. The air temperature was in the high 20’s with wind gusts to 35 mph and the vehicle was approximately 12 feet below the surface. The current of the river was estimated to be greater than 1.5 knots, which created complications attaching a 50 foot cable from a tow truck to the submerged vehicle. The current was so strong that it caused pressure on the regulators causing them to freeze and the divers were unable to breathe underwater. One diver had his full mask come off after the tow cable pulled off his air hose. After numerous attempts they were finally able to attach the cable to the submerged vehicle. The tow truck was able to pull the vehicle to the surface and both victims were recovered.
The actions of our Troopers during this nearly seven hour recovery detail and the diligent efforts to remove the vehicle during extremely hazardous conditions warrant a Commendation Award for a job well done.
