A Kentucky father is facing vehicular homicide charges after allegedly driving drunk and crashing his car into a flooded creek, causing his teenage son to drown while he survived with only minor injuries, according to Kentucky State Police.
The incident happened just before 9 p.m. on June 27 near Bewley Hollow Road in Elizabethtown — roughly 45 miles south of Louisville. Heavy rainfall and flooding had already struck the area when David Rhodes, 44, lost control of his Ford Mustang, sending the vehicle off the road and into a creek, where it overturned.
Trapped inside were Rhodes, his 15-year-old son Ethan, and a third juvenile. Emergency crews pulled all three from the submerged vehicle and rushed them to the hospital. Ethan died from his injuries. The third juvenile suffered head trauma. Rhodes was treated and released.
In the moments before Ethan lost consciousness, the teen desperately pleaded with his father for help, asking what they should do as the water rose inside the car. According to an arrest citation, Rhodes told his son he “did not know” — that “he was drowning too.”
Rhodes later told troopers the family had been coming from a bowling alley, where he said he had “a few beers.” He then admitted to drinking from a pitcher. Officers noted his slurred speech and glassy eyes at the scene. A blood alcohol content test revealed a BAC of 0.141 — nearly twice Kentucky’s legal limit of 0.08.
He was arrested and booked into Hardin County Jail. Rhodes is currently held on a $250,000 bond and faces charges of vehicular homicide, assault, and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. His next court date has not yet been announced.
