Tower Lakes man drowns in flooded ditch in Wisconsin

A Tower Lakes man drowned Tuesday morning after he accidentally drove his car off a washed-out road and into a flooded ditch in northern Wisconsin, authorities said.

The man's wife, also from Tower Lakes, was rescued from the vehicle.

Delmar R. Johnson, 84, was driving along a rural highway in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, about 300 miles northwest of Madison, about 11 a.m. Tuesday when he had to stop and turn around because the road had been washed out by heavy rains the night before, according to the Bayfield County sheriff's office.

While attempting a three-point turn, Johnson accelerated at a high rate when backing up and drove into a flooded ditch along the highway, completely submerging the vehicle in water, authorities said.

A volunteer firefighter from a local municipal fire department was on the scene immediately and able to rescue 84-year-old Caryljean Johnson from the car. The firefighter went back into the water and was able to get Delmar Johnson out of the vehicle, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Caryljean Johnson was not injured, sheriff's police said.