Fern Hill Road floods claim another car

A woman and her dog escaped from a car that became stuck in floodwaters on Fern Hill Road early Friday morning. In the midst of an active flood watch, a driver entered the water covering the road and became stuck, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue spokesperson Matt Johnston told News in the Grove. By the time Forest Grove Fire & Rescue arrived on scene, the driver had managed to get herself and her dog to safety. Her vehicle, however, could be seen nearly entirely submerged in what essentially had become the Tualatin River. “The vehicle is going to stay there until the waters recede,” Johnston said. "Thankfully in this instance, no one was hurt." He said the driver had described being followed by another vehicle and feeling pressured to drive into the floodwaters rather than turn around. “Never drive through flood waters. Remember to turn around, don’t drown,” he said. Forest Grove Fire & Rescue PIO Matt Johnston prepares to fly a drone over the flooded roadway to view the submerged vehicle up close on March 13, 2026. Photo: Chas Hundley He said that since Washington County installed floodgates at both ends of the road, incidents like this have lessened, but have not been eliminated, especially early morning incidents that occur before someone has notified officials that the road is flooded. As of 11 a.m. Friday, the county had yet to update their emergency road closure website or notify the public that Fern Hill Road was closed, despite county crews closing the gates, this newspaper publishing a story about the road closure 90 minutes after the 911 call, and Forest Grove Fire & Rescue sharing images of the flooded road.