Indiana Dam Mishap: Two Injured, Search For 17-Year-Old Suspended Till Morning

A swimming outing to the Big Blue River in southern Indiana turned tragic on Friday after three teenagers were swept over a dam in Edinburgh. Wish TV reports that dispatchers with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department have identified the five people who were out swimming in the river.

According to the police, they received a call at around 12:15 pm local time saying that one of the teenagers was swept over the Edinburgh dam, located in southern Indiana. She was later identified as Sarah Mae Mclevish, 16. The other teenagers in the group were Jason K. Moran, 17, Michael Chadbourne, 16, Trent Crabb, 17, and Mark Nally, 18. When the teenagers saw that Sarah was swept away and was trapped, they attempted rescuing her. However, they were overcome by the force of the water which, according to authorities, was at flood stage. In the process, 17-year-old Jason Moran was swept away by the water. Sarah and Michael Chadbourne were later rescued and are in critical condition. The other two in the group were safely able to swim back to the shore.

The search for Jason Moran was suspended for the night and will resume on Saturday morning, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said in a written statement.

Conservation Officer of the Indiana DNS, Jet Quillen told the Post Tribune, “We don’t know if he’s still in there or if he got carried downstream. We’re holding out hope that we’ll find him alive, but at this point we’re in recovery mode.”

Meanwhile, The Indiana Department of Natural Resources said that it was with the help of passersby that they managed to pulled Mclevish and Chadbourne from the water. The duo were administered CPR at the spot and they waited until paramedics arrived and took them to a hospital.

All of the teenagers belonged to Franklin, located about 15 miles north of Edinburgh in Indiana.

[Image via Seattle Pi]