Petition for Accountability and Flood Water Safety Reform
To: The County Commissioners, County Highway Department, and Local Government Officials

We, the undersigned citizens, demand immediate action and accountability following the tragic and preventable loss of two lives due to flooding on county roadways. During recent flood conditions, rising waters covered sections of roadway without proper warning signs, barricades, or road closures being implemented in a timely manner. The absence of these critical safety measures left drivers unknowingly approaching dangerous flood waters, resulting in a heartbreaking tragedy that claimed two lives. Jesse Brock 35 and Kasee Allman 21

Flooded roadways are not unpredictable acts of nature alone—they are known hazards that require immediate response from responsible county authorities. Proper protocol in such conditions includes placing high water warning signs, barricades, and closing roads when conditions become unsafe for travel.

When these precautions are neglected, the consequences can be fatal.
These lives should not have been lost due to a failure to act. You claim signs were stolen? Road safety systems are supposed to assume that signs can be damaged, moved, or stolen, which is why many areas now use multiple layers of warning and physical barriers for flooded roads. Permanent High-Water Gates, Anchored Barricades, Solar Powered Flashing Signs, Flood Depth Markers. Multiple Warning Layers!!!! Even if a sign was removed or stolen, safety protocols require backup warnings. In roadway safety planning, relying on a single removable sign is considered inadequate for known flood-prone areas.

In legal and engineering terms, road agencies are expected to anticipate:
vandalism, theft,
weather damage,
driver visibility issues
That’s why modern systems rely on permanent infrastructure, not just portable signs.

This petition calls for the following actions:

A full and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the failure to place high water warning signs and barricades.

Clear accountability for any negligence that contributed to this tragedy.

Immediate implementation of mandatory flood response protocols requiring timely placement of barricades and warning signs when roadways become flooded.

Improved coordination between emergency management, highway departments, and law enforcement during severe weather events.

Public reporting and oversight to ensure these failures never happen again.

Every life in our community matters. No family should suffer the devastating loss of a loved one because basic safety precautions were not taken.

We sign this petition not only in remembrance of the lives lost, but in determination that meaningful change must come from this tragedy. Preventable deaths demand accountability, and accountability demands action.

We urge our county leaders to take responsibility, implement stronger safety measures, and ensure that no more lives are lost due to preventable roadway hazards.

Signed,

Concerned Citizens of the Community. 

County Commissioners 
Members
Rodney Fish
District 1 Commissioner
Phone: 812-797-4064

Jeff McKnight
District 2 Commissioner
Phone: 812-278-6078

Wally Branham
District 3 Commissioner
Phone: 812-675-3604

County Council
Members
Amy Redman, District 1
Phil Inman, District 2
Janie Craig Chenault, District 3
Larry Arnold, District 4
Rick Butterfield, At Large
Julie Hewetson, At Large
Dustin Gabhart, At Large

Lawrence County Highway Dept. 
Brian Sowder
Superintendent