19-year-old died trying to help mother swim out of floodwaters, family says
TRIADELPHIA, W.V. (WTOV) – At least seven people were killed during one of the worst weather tragedies in Ohio County, West Virginia.
Now, one family said life will never be the same after recent flooding.
What once was a multi-generational Triadelphia home is now just mud and memories.
It’s actually much worse.
The Creightons also lost their 19-year-old son, Travis, in the June 14 flash flood.
“His heart was so big. So big,” Shelby Creighton, Travis Creighton’s sister, remarked.

It all began around 8:30 p.m. when Brian Creighton, Travis Creighton’s father, saw that Little Wheeling Creek was rising at a rate he’d never seen.
He moved their cars to a safer location, but in just minutes, Travis Creighton and his mother were now underwater.
“I had to push away because I was supposed to hold onto my son. He said, ‘Don’t let go.’ But I had to, and we found each other again and he said, ‘Mom, just swim. Swim,’” Travis Creighton’s mother recounted. “I said, ‘I’m trying baby. I’m trying.’ And then I just kept going underwater. We got separated. The house went off the foundation. We sat there and tilted. The walls opened up and it was a battle from there.”
That’s when Donna Creighton said she held onto a tree for as long as she could, but the water moved her so fast, she let go.
Fortunately, the debris slowed her down and saved her life.
“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” Brian Creighton said. “She literally traveled about five miles in rapid creek water all the way down to the skate park by I-470 from our home here.”
But their son, Travis Creighton, who would’ve turned 20 next month, wasn’t so lucky.
“A parent shouldn’t have to bury his child. That’s not supposed to happen,” Brian Creighton said.
Those scars now live on their furniture and their relative’s house next door. The creek is also a stark reminder of what they lost.
“That was a big ordeal, going down that creek, trying to survive,” Donna Creighton said.
The Creightons say they are still searching for their three dogs and just hoping to recover from the tragedy.
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