When the call came in early Thursday morning of a car submerged in the Tennessee River, Waterloo Fire Chief Ted Kavich thought the worst.
“It’s never a good sign when the car is almost underwater and there is no one around,” said Kavich.
As Kavich and the other members of the department raced to the boat ramp and the river bank, they were preparing to begin a search on water or land to find the driver or passengers of the car.
When the volunteer firefighters arrived, Assistant Chief Nick Kavich, who is also a diver, went into the water to see what he could find.
“Someone saw just the top of the car floating in the river and called 911,” Ted Kavich said. “We didn’t know how far out the car was, or how deep it was until we got there. Nick was able to wade out to the car. He didn’t see anyone in the car, so he broke out the window to make sure.”