WASHINGTON — One person has been confirmed dead and the search continues Saturday for one more who is still missing after being swept away by floodwaters in Harford County on Friday.
Maryland State Police say that around 6 p.m. in the area of Route 136 and James Run, a sedan got stuck on a bridge because of high water. A truck pulled up to help the stranded vehicle; but when a female passenger got out of the truck to assist, she was swept off the bridge by fast-moving water.
Police say their initial investigation revealed that the woman had attempted to coordinate with the driver of the truck to use a rope to reach the passengers of the sedan. At some point in the attempt she lost her footing in the water. The driver of the truck helped her back to her feet but the water once again pulled her down and swept her over the side of the bridge.
Shortly after that, the sedan was swept off the bridge by the floodwaters with Daniel Samis, 67, of Abingdon, Maryland, still inside.
Around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, police recovered Samis’ body. The woman who attempted to help him still considered missing.
Maryland police searched for all three of the missing until 11 p.m. Friday but were unable to find them. The search started again at 7 a.m. Saturday.
Officials located the sedan late on Friday night, but the water was too high to positively identify it as the vehicle they were searching for or determine if anyone was inside.
Police originally believed that there were two people inside the sedan, but after speaking with witnesses and kin of Samis, they concluded that he had been alone.
See a map of the area below:
