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Original Title: Woman Dives off Bridge to aviod DUI

REFERENCE NEWS ARTICLE

The rain poured that night. The Greensboro area received over four inches of rain in less than two hours, leading to standing water on several roads. Rosanne Tippett was not deterred. After going to a local convenience store on her moped and, according to her mother, possibly having a beer there, she decided that she could make it through the storm. She called her mother from the store to inform her of her plans, “My moped has two rubber wheels, Mom; I'll be fine.”

Ms. Tippett acquired her moped two years ago, opting for that form of transportation after a DUI conviction. North Carolina does not require a license to own or operate a moped.

Highway Patrol has blocked off several roads that were inundated with water. One of these apparently blocks Ms. Tippett's path home. And she wasn't going to stop when an officer has put up a roadblock. According to the Greensboro News and Record, Ms. Tippett road past the officer, lost control and fell into the swollen creek below. The officer retrieved rope from his vehicle, and proceeded to haul Ms. Tippett from the water.

The officer then interviewed Ms. Tippett, probably asking her something about her motivation for speeding through a roadblock on a moped during a flash flood. The officer began to suspect that she had been drinking. When the Highway Patrolman went to get something from his car, Ms. Tippett saw her avenue for escape. She jumped back into the creek. The officer attempted to rescue her again; alas it was too late.

Marie Minton, the victim's mother, postulates her daughter's motivation for jumping into a rushing, flooded creek was to try and get her moped; “I think she thought she could get it and she thought it would be all right,” Minton said. The victim's moped meant a lot to her; enough that she may have lost her life over it. “She loved that thing,” her mother said.

Woman avoiding trooper dies after apparently jumping into flooded creek

Thursday, June 4, 2009. By Ryan Seals, Staff Writer

Greensboro -- A woman attempting to avoid a state trooper drowned Wednesday night after apparently jumping into a rain-swollen creek near Northeast Middle School, officials said.

As a thunderstorm pounded the area, a trooper was stopping traffic in the 6700 block of McLeansville Road to keep vehicles off the flooded road. About 7 p.m., a woman zoomed past the trooper on a moped, lost control and went into the creek, said Col. Randy Powers of the Guilford County s Office. The trooper, who has not been identified, retrieved a rope from his vehicle and pulled the woman out of the water.

As he was interviewing her, the trooper suspected the woman had been consuming alcohol, Powers said. He went to retrieve something from his vehicle, and the woman jumped into the creek a second time. "The trooper attempted to rescue her again, but she was gone," Powers said.

About 8:30 p.m., the woman's body was recovered about 300 yards from where she jumped into the creek, authorities said. Her identity was not available late Wednesday.

Officer-involved fatalities are typically handled by the SBI, but the sheriff's office took over the probe because state investigators were not available, Powers said.

Other than the one fatality, both the sheriff's office and the Greensboro Police Department reported no serious injuries caused by the heavy rains that slammed the city throughout the evening. Lightning during the storm caused an estimated $6,000 in damages to a home at 1811 Carmel Road about 6:50 p.m.

Downtown was hit particularly hard during the storm, with 4.5 inches of rain falling from 6 to 8 p.m., said Phil Badgett of the National Weather Service in Raleigh. In contrast, Piedmont Triad International Airport recorded only about an inch of rain. "We had another storm that formed just past the Yadkin River, and when those two storms merged together, it merged with the one that was sitting over downtown Greensboro," said Scott Sharp of the National Weather Service. "The one storm was moving a little slower than the other, and when they merged, it created an intense rainfall," Sharp said. He compared the two storms to a traffic collision in which one car rear-ends another.

Assistant Chief David Douglas of the fire department said the agency responded to 115 calls from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thirty of those calls involved vehicles stranded in water and believed to be occupied.

About 6:30 p.m., several cars were stuck at the intersection of East Bessemer Avenue and Huffman Street.

Another car became trapped in floodwaters downtown at East Lindsay and North Eugene streets near NewBridge Bank Unfortunately, people only know one way home, and when they see standing water, they think they can drive through Douglas You never know how deep it is, and that puts people at

The rain flooded several roads, including U.S. 29 North near East Market Street, West Market at Friendly Avenue, and East Wendover Avenue near Elwell Street.

On English Street near Apache Street, the front of a 16-passenger van fell into a 4-foot sinkhole that opened up during the flooding. The two passengers escaped unharmed. The sinkhole appeared in a spot where city crews had recently repaired a water main break, said Greensboro spokesman Jim Collins. The temporary road patch opened up during the flooding.

Traffic lights were reported out in many parts of the city, and 5,633 homes were without power countywide as of 11 p.m.

As of 5:18 a.m. Thursday, 262 homes were without power in Guilford.

The Melvin Municipal Office Building, headquarters for the s administrative offices and the police department, reported flooding. Other flooding reports came from the Otto Zenke building, headquarters for the s office, and from Wafco Mills. Flooding was also reported at UNCG, and parents with children at the Child Care Education Program were told the facility t open this morning until flood cleanup is completed.

The full extent of the damage citywide t be known until today, officials said. Douglas, of the fire department, said it was some of the worst flooding he had ever m a lifelong resident of Greensboro, and ... ve seen places flood tonight that I have never seen flood Douglas said.

NWS meteorologists said Greensboro likely would see more rain today, with forecasters predicting about 1 inch to inches locally. Some spots could see up to 3 inches.

Staff writers Gerald Witt and Janet Brindle Reddick contributed to this report. Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com

Mother of Drowning Victim Told Daughter to 'Wait Out Storm'

GREENSBORO N.C. - The mother of a Greensboro woman who drowned in a creek on Wednesday told her daughter to "wait out the storm." According to the News and Record, Roseanne Tippett's mother spoke to her daughter on the phone Wednesday night and asked her to wait until the storm passed.

Marie Minton said her daughter called her from a convenience store just as the heavy rain began. Minton said she told her daughter to stay at the store until the rain subsided, but her daughter decided she would drive home.

Rosanne Tippett, 50, was killed after being swept away by flood waters near Northeast Middle School in Greensboro. A trooper used a rope to pull her out of the water from an embankment. Patrol spokesman Capt. Everett Clendenin said while the trooper was calling for assistance, Tippett jumped back into the creek.

The trooper attempted to rescue her again, but was unable to reach her. Tippett's body was recovered by officials later that night.

Submitted on 06/05/2009

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: news and record (greensboro, nc ) June 3rd, and 4th, 2009

Copyright © 2009 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Neutral: Other
I rejected this story at first, but new details may make this worthy of consideration. I will pass this on to my fellow mods...

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Given the additional details I think this is worthy. The combination of drinking, a storm, and possibly jumping back into flood waters to try to save a moped is a rather unique combination. Thanks.

Shadow said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I agree with Bruce definately the grade of stupidity we look for here, she was fished out, and then dove back in.

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