Local man saved after boat sinks
Apr. 16—First-responders rescued an elderly man at the Worthington Marina after his boat sank Monday.
A 70-year-old man was stranded for an hour Monday evening in 50-degree water, where he was seen holding onto a boat dock "for dear life" before emergency personnel reached him, said Mike Lacks, Worthington fire chief and public works supervisor in Russell.
"We could hear him screaming for help. He was holding on for dear life. When they got to him, he was about ready to give up," he said.
"We took our boat down there, and one of my firemen and a police officer got in a canoe and paddled out to the boat dock area and found the gentleman in the water," Lacks added.
Terry Hapney, Marshall University professor and community member in the Old Farm area, was at home alone when he heard a "muffled" cry out for help.
"We have a lot of wildlife noise on a regular basis," he said. "I kept hearing this noise and it didn't sound like a typical goose. I thought it must be an injured goose or something."
"I thought, that doesn't sound right," he added.
As Hapney let his dogs outside, he said he heard a cry of desperation but couldn't pinpoint where the scream was coming from.
"I walk out there and I am hearing, 'Help me! Please, help me!' It was desperation, it was a moan; I look over in the direction where it's coming from and I don't see anybody at all," Hapney said, prompting him to call emergency services.
"There's somebody trapped or over there injured, please send somebody right away," he said, recalling the phone call with the 911 dispatcher.
Hapney credited God for putting him in the right place at the right time.
"I am a person of faith, I give all the glory to God," Hapney said. "The scripture tells us we are his hands and his feet and he is going to use all of us in ways that we don't even know we're going to be used.
"I had no clue I would be used in playing a small part in that ordeal yesterday evening. In a small community you don't see things play out like that very often. It happened so quickly and it was a very scary thing ... I am thankful that man is OK. That means everything," Hapney said.
Lacks said, from his understanding, the man was on a boat, checking one of his house boats when the Jon boat began sinking.
"When you are in high water, don't be out in a boat in those conditions. Within the next two days, the water is going to be back down to normal. Having a life jacket on is the No. 1 thing; he didn't have one with him," Lacks said. "Nobody even knew he was there."
Shanna Mullins said in a Facebook comment, "Thank you guys so much for your help in getting him out of the water. Thank you for saving my dad. ... I can't thank you guys enough."
(606) 326-2657 — ajohnson@dailyindependent.com
