Man fishing at Utah state park rescued from water by Good Samaritan
By Mya Constantino, Stephen Romney
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COALVILLE, Utah (KSTU) — A 66-year-old Davis County man fishing with others at Echo State Park was rescued by a Good Samaritan after what is believed to be a boating incident on Saturday morning.
“It’s not something you would expect to see,” said Darren Miller, who witnessed the accident and subsequent rescue while fishing on the lake. “Partway through the morning, I notice there’s a boat in distress out on the water. I saw it circle several times.”
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office said the call came into dispatch just after 9 a.m., reporting the man had fallen overboard.
“As he was reeling in a fish,” Miller said, “he dropped his pole and reached for his pole and went overboard.”
The Utah Department of Natural Resources said the man was fishing with three others at the time. The man hung on to the boat, but was unable to get back in. Another boater who was nearby was able to pull the man out of the water and get them to the boat ramp, where emergency responders were waiting.
“Every minute counts when we’re dealing with this kind of situation,” said DNR Sgt. Ethan Justinger.
The man was then transported by helicopter to the University of Utah hospital in critical condition. Officials say the man was not wearing a life jacket at the time.
The DNR is handling the investigation.
“Wasn’t expecting this to happen today,” Miller said, “but was very happy to see our emergency responders respond in the way that they did.”
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