As torrential downpours, funnel cloud sightings, flash floods and hail wreaked havoc across Northeast Ohio on Monday night, local legend Dick Goddard found himself in a bit of a predicament.

Turning off of I-71 onto State Route 3, en route to his home in Medina, the 83-year-old Channel 8 weatherman noticed the car in front of him “slam into what looked like a raging river,” according to the Medina Gazette.

Deciding to proceed anyway, Goddard soon found his car submerged in the tempestuous waterway.

“Anyway, I begin to move, and then all of the sudden I can’t move,” Goddard said in an interview with cleveland.com. “The water’s coming up, I’m stuck, I can’t go anywhere, the electronics are out, I can’t put the window down.”

Well, it was a flash flood, Dick! Shouldn’t a seasoned weatherman be able to spot such a dangerous situation?

By the time rescuers made it to the meteorologist and smashed in a window to free him, the water was, in Goddard’s words, “up to his chin.”

Although we are certainly glad he’s all right, we do hope that the next time Goddard encounters such severe weather, he’ll heed the words of his people and remember the National Weather Service’s old adage, “Turn around, don’t drown.”

This article appears in May 14-20, 2014.

Cortni Dietz is a senior at Ohio University and a Scene blogging intern. When taking a break from the rigorous pursuit of journalism, she enjoys eating, reading, hanging out with dogs of all shapes and sizes and drinking overpriced coffee.

7 replies on “Ignoring Warning Signs, Cleveland Meteorologist Dick Goddard Required Rescue from Flash Flood”

  1. He’s 83 and still going strong. Considering what he’s done for Cleveland thus far, I’m willing to turn a blind eye to this and pretend it didn’t happen. Still, it can happen to anyone. Standing water is always deeper than you think it is. Glad they got to him in time.

  3. Dick is a good man. Sometimes our judgments can be off. This can happen to the best of people. So buzz off. We’re not perfect you know.

  4. I’ve heard him say this on more than one occasion, “Turn around , Don’t drown”. Practice what you preach Dick. Glad he’s OK though. He is a nice guy. He can more good protecting animals rights.

  7. I have had enough tragedy with the loss of Dorothy Fuldheim and Joel Rose. Not his man Lord, not this man.

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