A father’s two-hour drive from South Carolina to his daughter’s wedding turned into a dangerous 30-mile trek through the flood debris left behind by Hurricane Helene.
David Jones traveled five and a half hours on foot after initially driving seven hours to walk his daughter Elizabeth Marquez down the aisle at their wedding in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Despite the obstacles, the marathon runner father was determined to make it to his daughter’s wedding.
When state troopers on Interstate 26 told him around 2 a.m. that the rest of the road was unnavigable, Jones put on his running shoes and made the incredible journey over seven- to ten-foot piles of debris in total darkness.
David Jones walked five and a half hours on foot after driving seven hours to walk his daughter Elizabeth Marquez down the aisle at their wedding in Johnson City, Tennessee.
When state troopers on Interstate 26 told him around 2 a.m. that the rest of the road was unnavigable, Jones put on his running shoes and made the incredible journey over seven- to 10-foot piles of debris in total darkness.
At one point, Jones became stuck in knee-deep mud and had a close encounter with a backhoe before returning to Interstate 26 on foot with a reflective stake to avoid being hit by a car. PICTURED: From left to right David Jones, Ava Jones, Daniel Márquez and Elizabeth Márquez
Jones said WJHL A harrowing experience that night as cleanup crews removed debris with a backhoe.
“I was up to my knees and I couldn’t move and he doesn’t see me.
“His cab was facing the other way most of the time and he was turning this thing around and I was ducking and thinking this could be it.”
He was eventually able to free himself and returned to Interstate 26, continuing to walk with a reflective stake so cars wouldn’t hit him.
As Jones completed the 30-mile trip to the wedding, his daughter Elizabeth told WJHL she had no idea how far her father had traveled to get there.
“It’s so touching that my father loves me so much that he would go through all that just to get to my wedding.”
Jones walked her down the aisle and presented the happy couple with his trusty reflective stake that had gotten him through the night.
I hoped it would remind them to continue being a positive reflection of each other.
The father said that he was no hero and that any father would do what he did, although Elizabeth remained steadfast in her belief that Jones was a hero to her.
As Jones completed the 30-mile journey to the wedding, his daughter Elizabeth told WJHL she had no idea how far her father had gone to get there.
Jones walked her down the aisle and presented the happy couple with his trusty reflective stake that had gotten him through the night to remind them to continue being a positive reflection of each other.
The father said that he was no hero and that any father would do what he did, although Elizabeth remained steadfast in her belief that Jones was a hero to her.
Hurricane Helene highlighted the indomitable human spirit people have when it comes to their loved ones, like 38-year-old Sam Perkins, who undertook a dangerous 11-mile hike to rescue his parents in the mountains of North Carolina.
The couple was trapped in the isolated city of Asheville, ground zero for Hurricane Helene, where 30 of the hurricane’s 121 deaths occurred.
So dire is the situation in Asheville now that survivors say the bodies are “stuck in the trees.”
Perkins, determined to save his parents, told DailyMail.com he didn’t think twice before making the trip.
“I did this because I have parents who have been amazing to me,” she told DailyMail.com.
