CINCINNATI - Imagine driving down Interstate 71 only to have your car take on water and stall. That's what happened to a number of people Sunday during the gushing rain and flooding.
Two feet of water had traffic bottled up in low spots around the Smith-Edwards and Dana Avenue exits.
Amber Shorer of Independence, Ky., couldn't believe what was happening.
"We tried to go through the water and it stalled us out, so we had to jump out and push to get out of the way of traffic," said Shorer.
"We were stuck for about 40 minutes underneath an overpass."
According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, it was simply so much water that the storm sewers couldn't handle the volume. Shorer said she's never been through anything like it.
"I've always heard stories that water rises really fast and not to drive through it, but I witnessed it last night. It was shocking," she said.
Jay Armstrong was driving.
"We saw a guy backing up on the shoulder and we couldn't see in front of us, so we were like, 'What is happening?'" he said.
"And then the water came to us as we were stopped, and people flipped that coin in their head: 'Am I going to try to make it through or am I not?'"
All the water didn't alter construction work along I-71 Monday, according to ODOT spokesman Brian Cunningham. Cunningham said there is no evidence to suggest that any highway catch basins were clogged during Sunday's downpours.
"The primary culprit is the heavy downpour," he said, "and even if everything goes perfectly, that amount of rain is going to cause problems
"I think what you saw yesterday was a matter of volume," Cunningham said. It does cause potential hazards and people should not drive through standing water if they are found to be in that situation. They just need to be patient and make sure they are safe."
As for Shorer, it's something she won't forget and explains why she started taking a video.
"I got out of the car to help push, to get out us of the way of traffic. It was just so overwhelming and shocking," she said.
