KNOXVILLE, Tenn. − Michael Dorsey, a long-haul truck driver from Texas, has navigated roads across the country throughout his career, often forgetting the places he stops. But on a recent Friday in Erwin, Tennessee, everything changed. Dorsey, aged 56, was in town to gather a shipment of yellow flexible gas piping bound for Arizona.

However, he never managed to leave the parking lot. By the end of the morning, the Texas truck driver found himself acting as a hero.

Dorsey guided ten workers from a nearby business, Impact Plastics, to scramble onto the back of his flatbed truck to escape the raging waters of the Nolichucky River, which had turned ferocious due to heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

The Nolichucky River was swollen and ferocious, carrying debris in its fierce current that threatened the group clinging to the truck and the yellow piping.

Debris struck the truck repeatedly, tipping it over during the third hit and sending at least five individuals into the violent waters. Tragically, at least two lives were lost, while the fate of three remains uncertain.

Nevertheless, five others survived, crediting Dorsey with saving them.

“I don’t see myself as a hero,” Dorsey remarked to Knox News, part of the YSL News Network, on Tuesday. “I was just in the right place at the right time. If I hadn’t been there, they could have been swept away.”

“God places you in certain situations, and you never know the outcome. I just happened to be there when they needed help.”

Riverview Industrial Park’s Tragic Location

Dorsey was transporting piping for Dura-Line, collaborating with PolyPipe USA, which operates in Riverview Industrial Park situated dangerously close to the Nolichucky River. The river swelled with an amount of water nearly double that of Niagara Falls.

Only a parking lot and a couple of streets stood between the companies and the river.

Tragically, two employees from Impact Plastics lost their lives, as stated by an immigrant rights organization that has been assisting the families of those who worked there. The company confirmed one death but did not disclose further details about the individual.

The fate of remaining employees is unclear, as communication from local and state officials has been scarce and locating missing individuals has proven to be a challenge for authorities in the area.

Impact Plastics employees have claimed, in interviews with Knox News, that they were not allowed to leave even as the waters surged outside. The company publicly refuted these allegations in a statement on Monday.

According to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, at least eight lives have been lost in East Tennessee due to the catastrophic flooding following Hurricane Helene’s impact.

Dorsey’s experience during the incident closely mirrors that of Jacob Ingram, a fellow Impact Plastics employee, who shared his story with Knox News. Both accounts reflected the chaotic nature of the experience, though they differed slightly in details: Dorsey remembered 11 people on the truck, while Ingram recalled 12. Dorsey mentioned that six were rescued, compared to Ingram’s five.

Dorsey stated that the entire event lasted about an hour, rather than the two to three hours that Ingram recalled.

The Incomprehensible Flood Approaches

The water within parts of Erwin’s industrial park was already at ankle-depth when Dorsey reached his red semi-truck parked at PolyPipe USA. He had no idea that he was about to drive it for the last time.

An employee informed him of a dam failure and urged him to leave. Although the water appeared deep, another semi-truck had successfully cleared the area ahead of him, prompting Dorsey to contemplate his options. A woman then approached him, requesting to stay until the waters receded. He agreed.

In less than 20 minutes, the water escalated from ankle-deep to a strong current, as Dorsey described. He remained in the cab with the woman until the water began to seep in, leading them to move to the trailer.

Shortly afterward, the force of the current shoved the truck and trailer against some trees. The Nolichucky River was relentless, overpowering the truck. Eventually, the truck was struck by debris, throwing everyone into the water.

“I prayed through it all, believing we would survive, but I can’t deny I was terrified; it was an intense situation,” he reflected.

Similar to Ingram, Dorsey managed to hold onto the piping as they floated downstream, with others doing the same, until the group found refuge on a pile of debris.

The Casualties and the Missing

Knox News has confirmed that at least five employees who were on the truck are either missing or deceased.

One victim, identified as Bertha Mendoza, 56, fell off the truck and disappeared in the flood, according to Ingram and a representative from the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

Mendoza became separated from her sister while they both tried to stay afloat, as narrated on a GoFundMe page set up in her memory. Her body was discovered on Sunday, but officials have not publicly identified her.

Monica Hernandez has also been confirmed dead, based on confirmation with her family provided by the immigrant rights coalition after the Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency informed them on Tuesday. She has not yet been publicly confirmed by officials.

As of Tuesday, Rosa Maria Andrade Reynoso was still missing. Her husband, Francesco Guerro, relayed through a translator to Knox News that she had been in contact with him earlier in the day and was uncertain if she could escape. She urged him to take care of their children.

Another missing individual is Lydia Verdugo, who has also been recognized as unaccounted for by the immigrant rights coalition. She has not been publicly confirmed by officials.

What Lies Ahead for Dorsey?

After losing the ability to drive his truck, Dorsey returned to Texas by flight, where he has been searching for new employment while he awaits insurance compensation for his lost vehicle. He is the primary supporter for his wife and their five children, emphasizing the strain this situation brings.

When the insurance finally processes, he intends to use that money to purchase a new semi-truck.

For now, he can’t shake the memories of the river and the people who were on his flatbed. He feels grateful for those who survived, yet the losses linger in his mind.

One woman involved in the incident, whose name Dorsey doesn’t know, felt terrified during the whole experience. He assured her multiple times that they would escape safely, that she would survive. He held onto her, but during the chaos resulting from the truck tipping over, he was struck on the head and lost his grip.

“They aren’t exactly nightmares, but whenever I shut my eyes, I find myself going through everything that happened again,” he explained. “I had promised her that I would keep her safe, but then I ended up letting her go before everything unraveled.”

“I truly didn’t expect to be hit in the head by whatever it was that hit me, and it weighs heavily on me that I couldn’t hold onto her.”